The Court of Appeal in Abuja has ruled to sack the Deputy Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Jamilu Umaru Dahiru Barade, belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The three-man panel of Justices delivered its judgment on Monday, overturning the earlier decision of the Bauchi State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, which had initially validated Barade’s election as the rightful representative for Bauchi Central State Constituency.
The appellate court’s verdict stems from allegations of over-voting raised by the appellant, Aliyu Abdullahi Ilela of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Consequently, the panel has mandated rerun elections in specific polling units within the constituency. The ruling further directs the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to retract the Certificate of Return previously issued to the now-ousted Deputy Speaker.
This development follows closely on the heels of another recent decision by the Court of Appeal, which saw the Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Sulaiman, also losing his position due to legal challenges. The consecutive rulings underscore a period of heightened legal scrutiny and political turbulence in Bauchi State.
