The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed the election of Sen. Mohammed Ndume and Sen. Kaka Lawan of Borno South and Central Senatorial Districts respectively.
Justice Biobele Georgewill, who presided over a three-member panel on Thursday held that the appeals instituted against the two lawmakers lacked merit.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had on February 25, declared the duo as winners of the National Assembly election into the two senatorial districts.
But dissatisfied with the declaration, Muhammed Kumalia and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenged the election of Lawan while Kudla Satumari and PDP filed a petition against Mohammed Ndume at the state’s election tribunal.
The Borno National and State’s Election Petition Tribunal dismissed the two petitions for lacking in merit.
Irked by the judgments of the tribunal, Kumalia and Satumari approached the Court of Appeal with file number: CA/G/EP/SEN/BR/7/2023 between Mohammed Umara Kumalia & another Vs. Kaka Shehu Lawan and others.
Another appeal was also instituted with number: CA/G/EP/SEN/BR/04/2023 between Kula Satumari & another Vs. INEC and others.
While Yusuf Ali, SAN, represented Kaka Shehu and APC; Johnson Usman, SAN, appeared for INEC, and Marcel Oru, SAN, represented Ndume in the two appeals.
The senior lawyers urged the court to dismiss the appeals for lacking in merit.
Delivering the judgments, the Court of Appeal upheld the submissions of the senior counsel to the respondents that the two appeals lacked merit and dismissed same while affirming the election of Lawan and Ndume respectively.
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