The Court of Appeal Abuja has sacked the lawmaker representing Adamawa North, Senator Elisha Abbo.
Delivering judgement, the three-member panel presided over by Justice C.E. Nwosu-Iheme, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a Certificate of Return to Amos Yohanna as the duly elected senator representing the senatorial district in the National Assembly.
The appellate court vacated the tribunal judgement which had earlier affirmed Abbo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the senatorial election.
INEC had declared Abbo winner of the February 25, 2023 parliamentary election.
Aggrieved by the decision of the electoral body, Yohanna, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, went to the tribunal to challenge the outcome of the election.
In its ruling, the tribunal dismissed Yohanna’s petition for lacking in merit.
Dissatisfied with the tribunal’s decision, the PDP candidate, through his counsel, Johnson Usman (SAN), approached the appellate court.
The Court of Appeal, after hearing arguments from parties, agreed with Usman that based on Section 137 of the Electoral Act 2022, the results tendered clearly showed that there was no compliance with the Electoral Act.
The court, thereafter, deducted the invalid votes from both parties and found that Yohanna and the PDP won the election by majority of lawful votes.
… Blames woe on Akpabio
And few hours after his sack from the Senate, the ex-lawmaker alleged President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, was behind the ruling.
Senator Abbo, who made the allegation during an explosive interview with journalists at his residence in Katampe Extension, claimed four other lawmakers were also penciled down for similar removal judgement from the Court of Appeal.
He specifically mentioned Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC Abia North), as the next target of the planned uprooting of five lawmakers from the Senate by its leadership.
According to him, his sin and those of the other four targeted senators, was position taken on emergence of leadership of the 10th Senate in June .
“I have it from reliable source and very highly placed one for that matter , that myself and four other senators within the fold of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC ) would be removed from the Senate through rulings from the courts , all because of working against emergence of Akpabio as President of the 10th Senate.
“I won’t mention the names of all the four other ones targeted but the next in line is Senator Orji Uzor Kalu,” he said.
He wondered how with over 11, 000 votes margin of victory he had above his closest rival, the Appeal Court, upturned his victory.
“The court judgement is strange and the judiciary needs to please remain the last hope of the common man.
“For President Bola Tinubu, I must declare that this is not the democracy he fought for and should please lead in protecting it,” he said.
Abbo, however, appealed to his supporters to remain calm, saying he cannot be taken out of the political space, and vowing to re-contest in 2027 and win.
Corroborating Senator Abbo’s allegation, Senator Summaila Kawu (NNPP Kano South), confirmed to journalists that he is among the targeted, but that it won’t be possible because of the 127, 000 margin of victory votes he had over his rival from the APC.
Carry your cross, Akpabio tells Abbo
In a reaction, Senator Akpabio, through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Hon Eseme Eyiboh, said the sacked lawmaker should carry his cross and leave him out of his woes.
Eyiboh said: “Was Senator Abbo taken to court by the Senate President and was the Senate President the Judge or Justices who ruled against Senator Abbo?
“The Senate President has since put behind him the politics that made him emerge as President of the 10th Senate and not out to favour or witch-hunt anybody.
“It is very unfair for Senator Abbo to drag the President of the Senate into his loss at the judiciary on litigation not filed by him and not presided over by him. There is time for everybody to carry his or her own cross.”
