The national and state house of assembly elections petition tribunal in Kano has made a significant decision regarding Muktar Yarima, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate representing the Tarauni federal constituency.
On Thursday, the three-member tribunal announced its ruling, stating that the primary school certificate presented by Yarima to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in support of his qualifications had been forged.
Initially, Yarima had been declared the victor of the Tarauni federal constituency election with 26,273 votes, surpassing Hafizu Kawu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who received 15,931 votes.
However, Kawu, a former House of Representatives member aiming for re-election, filed a petition challenging Yarima’s triumph, citing certificate forgery and various election irregularities including over-voting and non-compliance with electoral regulations.
In its verdict, the tribunal confirmed Yarima’s guilt in certificate forgery. It also determined that the NNPP did not present a legitimate candidate for the election, thereby invalidating all votes cast for Yarima.
Subsequently, the tribunal issued an order for INEC to revoke the certificate of return previously awarded to Yarima.