Kano’s ‘Violent’ Legislator: Why INEC Removed APC’s Alhassan Doguwa From Winners’ Lists

Perhaps accused of reveling in violence in order to win at all cost, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has removed the name of the embattled leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, from the list of election winners owing to the killing of some persons and burning of a party office in his constituency.

The controversial lawmaker, who prefers to be in the news more for the wrong reasons, was declared the winner of the February 25 election in Doguwa/Tudunwada constituency in Kano State.

In the result declared by the returning officer, Ibrahim Adamu Yakasai from Bayero University, Kano, Doguwa of the All Progressives Congress, APC, scored 39,732 votes to defeat his closest rival, Yushau Salisu Abdullahi of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, who scored 34,798 votes.

But on deep reflection, the electoral umpire has left out the embattled Kano lawmaker from the list of those billed to receive its certificate of return.

Although no official reason had been adduced by INEC, several officials of the commission frowned at the manner the election was held and the final outcome, which saw the returning officer reading the result under what the commission sources called duress.

The video of the Bayero University lecturer reading the election results of the candidates with shaky voice had gone viral which drew the attention of the commission

After the conclusion of the collation exercise, Doguwa was arrested for what the police said was his complicity in the killings of several persons and burning of the secretariat of the NNPP.

Doguwa has denied his involvement.

On Monday, he was admitted to 500 million bail by the Federal High Court in Kano and barred from his constituency during the gubernatorial and state assembly elections on Saturday.

THE WHISTLER reports that Doguwa has cut a reputation as a violent lawmaker. This paper reported on December 6, 2022 how he was seen in a viral video threatening his constituents to vote for his party, “the APC or you are dealt with.”

In the video, he warned his constituents repeatedly that, “you either vote for APC or you are dealt with.”

Yet before then, he was accused by the APC deputy governorship candidate, Murtala Garo, of invading the party’s meeting and hitting him with a teacup.

Again, Doguwa denied any wrongdoing.

Garo however explained to the BBC Hausa that the majority leader violently invaded a meeting at the deputy governor’s residence and made several “baseless accusations” against the gathering including the deputy governor, Nasiru Gawuna, who is also the party’s governorship candidate.

Garo said, “When he invaded the meeting, he started disagreeing that he was not involved in the meeting because it was a time of sharing money but when it comes to the difficult task of the party he will be invited.

“But the deputy governor replied that they are not sharing money because nobody gives them money to share, he then asked why he was not invited despite his position as the majority leader, and that is how the argument turned into a quarrel.

“Doguwa accused me of destroying his banners which I denied, he grabbed a teacup in front of the deputy governor and threw it at me.”

Garo was reportedly seen with some injuries resulting from the hit from the teacup.

The 57-year-old is a son of a prominent member of the First Republic NEPU member who was elected Honorable Member, Kano State House of Assembly under the defunct Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) Government.

Doguwa graduated with a First Class in Mass Communications from Bayero University Kano,  before joining politics immediately after graduating and became elected member of the House of Representatives under the defunct SDP in 1992.

He has been in the House of Reps since 2007.