KATSINA: Appeal Court Upholds Sacking Of PDP’s Dalha Ismail From House Of Rep

The Court Of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dismissed the application filed by Dalha Ismail of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) against the judgment of the National and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Katsina which ordered the return of Abubakar Yahaya as the House of Representatives member representing Kankia/Kusada/Ingawa federal constituency, Katsina state.

Ismail had been declared the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

But the Tribunal voided the declaration on the grounds of certificate forgery as canvassed by Yahaya.

The Tribunal held that Ismail submitted a forged primary school certificate to INEC and subsequently ordered the issuance of a certificate of return to Yahaya of the APC who emerged second at the polls with 31,017 votes.

But Ismail and the PDP, in separate appeals to the appellate court, challenged the findings and verdict of the Tribunal.

In his judgement on Thursday, Justice Samuel Ademola Bola agreed with the findings of the Tribunal.

Justice Bola described the PDP’s application as an “abuse of court process” while affirming the judgement of the Tribunal.