Appeal Court affirms Ndume, Lawan as validly elected senators

The Court of Appeal, Abuja, on Thursday, affirmed the election of Sen. Mohammed Ndume and Sen. Kaka Lawan of Borno South and Central Senatorial Districts respectively.

The three-member panel, presided by Justice Biobele Georgewill, held that the two appeals against the lawmakers lacked merit.

It was reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC had, on Feb. 25, declared the duo of Ndume and Lawan as the winners of the National Assembly election into the two senatorial districts.

Dissatisfied with the declaration, Muhammed Kumalia and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenged the election of Lawan while Kudla Satumari and PDP filed petition against Mohammed Ndume at the state’s election tribunal.

The Borno National and State’s Election Petition Tribunal dismissed the two petitions.

Not satisfied with the judgments of the tribunal, Kumalia and Satumari lodged appeals before the Court of Appeal in appeal number: CA/G/EP/SEN/BR/7/2023 between Mohammed Umara Kumalia & another Vs. Kaka Shehu Lawan and others, and appeal number: CA/G/EP/SEN/BR/04/2023 between Kula Satumari & another Vs. INEC and others.

While Yusuf Ali, SAN, represented Kaka Shehu and APC, Johnson Usman, SAN, appeared for INEC and Marcel Oru, SAN, represented Ndume in the two appeals.

The senior lawyers urged the court to dismiss the appeals for lacking in merit.

Delivering the judgments, the Court of Appeal upheld the submissions of the learned senior counsel to the respondents that the two appeals lacked merit and dismissed same while affirming the election of Lawan and Ndume respectively.