NKRUMAH BANKONG-OBI/Lafia
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, has removed Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi as a member of the State House of Assembly. Until his removal, Abdullahi who was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was the Speaker of the State legislature. He represented the Umaisha/Ugya State constituency.
The appellate court instead declared Sa’ad Abdullahi Ibrahim as the validly elected winner of the March 18 2023 State House of Assembly election for that constituency. The Independent National Electoral Commission has also been ordered to issue a certificate of return to Ibrahim who flew the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at the polls.
The Court of Appeal has the final jurisdiction on litigations pertaining to legislative elections in Nigeria. It follows therefore that Hon. Abdullahi, a close ally of the governor is no longer a member of the House and has lost his position as speaker.
The former speaker had been embroiled in the contest for speaker when the House was first prorogued in June this year. He and then others were in Governor Abdullahi Sule’s camp while thirteen others from different political parties belonged to camps representing political interests different from the governor’s. The impasse led to the shutting down of the House of Assembly complex by the police. Sitting resumed some months ago when the different shades of interest decided to collaborate and work together with Abdullahi emerging as speaker