Tribunal sacks Kano NNPP rep member over fake certificate

The National and State House of Assembly elections petition tribunal in Kano on Thursday nullified the election of a member representing Tarauni Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Mukhtar Yerima.

The three-man panel of the tribunal led by Justice I.P. Chima held that Yerima was not qualified, having forged his primary school certificate that was submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Yerima was declared the winner of the February 18th, 2023, election under the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), defeating the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Hafizu Kawu.

According to the tribunal, the case of the petitioner, Hafizu Kawu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging Yerima’s emergence succeeded in proving a case of forgery against the NNPP candidate.

DailyNews24 reported earlier that the former member of the House of Representatives, Kawu, petitioned the tribunal, challenging the legitimacy of Yerima’s victory on the basis of a fake certificate.

The tribunal therefore held that the NNPP had no candidate in the election and that all the votes that were cast for Yerima were wasted votes.

Delivering the judgment on Thursday, the three-panel justice upheld Kawu’s petition and nullified the sitting NNPP member’s election.

It thereafter directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return earlier issued to Yerima.

The tribunal had held that Yerima’s defence that he had made a change of name in 2022 did not hold water, having been using three (Umar Mukhtar Zakari) names on his International passports since 2009, while his primary school certificate still bears Umar Mukhtar.

It also held that the said primary school, Hausawa Primary School, has disowned the certificate rendered by the sacked lawmaker.