Supreme Court sacks 10 CPC lawmakers from Kastina



Ten federal lawmakers belonging to the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Katsina State were yesterday sent packing by the Supreme Court.

Two of them were Senators while the eight others were in the House of Representatives.

The sacked Senators are Abdu Umar ‘Yandoma, who was representing Katsina North; and Ahmad Sani Stores, who was representing Katsina Central.
Those in the House of Representatives are Murtala Isa, Muntari Dandutse, Musa Salisu, Aminu Ashiru, Umar Adamu Katsayal, Muhammad Tukur, Tasi’u Doguro, and Abdu Dankama.

In a judgment that was delivered by a seven-man panel of justices, the apex court maintained that going by the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 and the 1999 constitution, as amended, the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) ought not have recognized the ousted lawmakers as authentic candidates of the CPC for the April 2011 general election in the state, holding that they were not validly nominated.

Consequently, the panel presided by Justice Tanko Mohammed Mahmoud, upheld the verdict of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal which had on April 20, declared the primary election that produced the sacked lawmakers as illegal, null and void.

Meanwhile, the apex court yesterday ordered the National Assembly leadership to immediately swear-in 10 members of the CPC in the state who it said were the bona-fide candidates of the party and winners of the primary election that heralded the April poll in the state.



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