The election of Muktar Umar Yerima of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has been declared invalid by the National and State House of Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal in Kano.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was also told by the tribunal to revoke Yerima’s earlier certificate of return.
Yerima’s election was contested by the petitioner, Hafizu Kawu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who claimed he lacked the necessary qualifications.
According to OBASANJO NEWS24, INEC proclaimed Yerima the winner of the House of Representatives election for the Tarauni Federal Constituency.
OBASANJO NEWS24 says that the three-member tribunal panel, which was chaired by Justice I.P. Chima, determined that Yerima was ineligible for the position because he had falsified his primary school diploma.
The tribunal determined that Yerima’s claim that he changed his name in 2022 was untrue because he had been using three different identities (Umar Mukhtar Zakari) since 2009 on his international passports, even though Umar Mukhtar is still listed on his primary school transcript.
It further stated that the certificate presented by the ousted MP had been discarded by the aforementioned primary school, Hausawa Primary School.
As a result, it was determined that the NNPP did not field a candidate.
