Tribunal Removes NNPP Rep for Certificate Forgery, Declares APC Winner

The National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal has removed Idris Dankawu of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) from his position as a representative due to the submission of a forged West African School Certificate (WAEC).

Dankawu had presented this certificate during his election campaign for the Kumbotso Federal House of Representatives Constituency in Kano State.

Munir Babba Danagudi, a contestant from the All Progressives Congress (APC), filed a petition alleging that Dankawu had used a fraudulent Secondary School Certificate to gain admission into Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic in Kaduna.

In response to the petition, Justice I.P. Chima delivered a verdict that had significant implications. He stated, “Idris Dankawu of NNPP has falsified his WAEC certificate,” leading to the nullification of the election.

The tribunal didn’t stop there; it directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to revoke Dankawu’s previously awarded Certificate of Return. Instead, the tribunal declared Danagudi as the rightful winner of the Kumbotso Federal Constituency election held on February 25, 2023.

Justice Chima emphasized the tribunal’s commitment to upholding the law, saying, “Having satisfied the legal provisions, we hereby announce Munir Babba Danagudi as the victor of the Kumbotso Federal House of Representatives Election.”

The ruling concluded by assigning the costs incurred in this matter to the respective parties involved.