Court of Appeal sacks Bauchi State deputy speaker, orders rerun in polling units
By Sabiu Abdullahi
The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has delivered a decisive blow to the political landscape of Bauchi State by nullifying the election of Jamilu Barade, the Deputy Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly.
This development, which transpired less than four days after the court sacked the Speaker of the Assembly, Abubakar Suleiman, has sent ripples through the state’s political corridors.
The three-man panel of the appellate court, in a judgment issued late Monday, set aside the ruling of the Bauchi State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, which had earlier upheld Barade’s election as the duly elected member representing Bauchi Central State constituency.
The tribunal had dismissed the petition filed by the APC candidate, citing lack of merit.
Dissatisfied with the tribunal’s decision, the APC candidate took the case to the Court of Appeal, which ruled in his favor, ordering a rerun in several polling units where allegations of overvoting had been raised.
The court found substance in the claims that there was overvoting in nine polling units, leading to the nullification of Barade’s victory.
In its far-reaching decision, the Court of Appeal mandated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to retrieve the Certificate of Return previously issued to the Deputy Speaker.