The Senate yesterday finally swore in David Umaru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the senator representing Niger East after the Appeal Court granted him victory last month.
Senate president David Mark administered the oath to Umaru after the Senate leader Victor Ndoma-Egba moved a motion that Umaru be allowed into the Upper Chamber.
The seat became vacant last year following the death of Senator Dahiru Awaisu Kuta, with David Umaru (APC) and Shem Nuhu Zagbayi (PDP) contesting the Niger East senatorial seat.
LEADERSHIP recalls that David Umaru had petitioned the tribunal seeking to be declared as the winner of the by-election having won majority of the lawful votes.
The petitioners, David Umaru and APC, had prayed the tribunal to declare the declaration of Dr. Zagbayi of PDP as winner of the by-election null and void, claiming that the election was characterised by malpractices that affected several polling units and that the first petitioner should be declared winner after counting the lawful votes cast.
On January 31, this year, the National Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Minna granted a consequential order to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a certificate of return to Barr David Umaru of the APC as the duly elected senator for Niger East Senatorial District, after nullifying the election of Dr Shem Nuhu Zagbayi of the PDP in last year’s Niger East by-election.
Delivering judgement at the Niger State High Court 7 in Minna, chairman of the three-man tribunal, Justice Ibrahim Bako, said the order was given based on the malpractices and non-compliance established by the petitioners (David Umaru and the APC).
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) then appealed the judgement at the Appeal Court.
However, the Court of Appeal in Abuja on March 11 turned down the appeal filed by the Niger State chapter of the PDP and that of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against the verdict of the Election Petition Tribunal that declared Barrister David Umaru of the APC as the authentic winner of the Niger-East Senatorial by-election.
Senator Umaru who has less than two months to stay in the 7th Senate fortunately won the March 28 senatorial elections for Niger East on the platform of the APC and defeated the incumbent Governor Muazu Babangida who contested on the ticket of the PDP.
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