TheCable

The court of appeal has struck out a petition filed by the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Salisu Abdullahi, its candidate, against the re-election of Alhassan Doguwa of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Doguwa, a member of the house of representatives, represents Doguwa/Tudun-wada federal constituency in Kano state.

On April 7, the national and state assembly election petition tribunal struck out the suit filed by the NNPP seeking to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting supplementary polls in Doguwa/Tudun Wada federal constituency in Kano.

The appellants had asked the appellate court to set aside the April 15 supplementary election that declared Doguwa as the winner of the house of representatives election in that constituency.

But in a unanimous judgement on Friday, a three-member panel headed by Ita George-Mbaba, the presiding judge, struck out the suit for lack of jurisdiction and affirmed the decision of the tribunal.

George-Mbaba also dismissed the appellants’ prayer to restrain INEC from issuing Doguwa a certificate of return and or to withdraw the one that has already been issued to him.

The judge also ordered the appellants to pay the respondents the sum of N200,000 as a cost for ” a filing frivolous petition”.