The National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal for Sokoto/Zamfara, sitting in Sokoto, has removed Umar Yusuf Yabo, popularly known as Danmaje, from his position as a member of the National Assembly representing the Yabo/Shagari federal constituency.
In a unanimous ruling, the tribunal ordered Danmaje to pay 500,000 naira in damages to the petitioner.
The judgment, delivered by a three-member panel of judges chaired by Justice Ashu A. Ewah, declared the election of Danmaje null and void.
The panel, which also included Justice Helen HammanJoda and Justice Ali Changbo, found that the elections, conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2023 and the rerun election on February 3, 2024, were marred by malpractices, rendering them inconclusive.
The tribunal directed INEC to organize and conduct another rerun election within the next 90 days in two affected polling units in Shagari local government area.
Additionally, INEC has been ordered to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Danmaje.
The tribunal’s decision mandates a new election to ensure the electoral process is free from the identified irregularities.
