NNPP files fresh petition, seeking withdrawal of Doguwa’s certificate of return

By Muhammad Muhammad

Double trouble mounted against the majority leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa as the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) demanded his withdrawal of certificate of return issued by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Besides, the national assembly election petition tribunal granted the NNPP application to serve the majority leader petition through substituted means after several efforts put across to do so through his office and APC secretariat failed.

Doguwa was declared winner of his Doguwa Tudun-Wada federal constituency during the rerun election with 41,573 votes to defeat his closest rival Yusahu Salisu of the NNPP who poll 34,831 votes.

SOLACEBASE reports that dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, the NNPP in a petition filed before the National assembly election petition tribunal sitting in Kano, on Wednesday asked the court to set aside the declaration of Doguwa as lawful winner of the contest.

In the petition filed by their counsel, Bashir Mohammad, NNPP and the candidate revealed that the exercise that produced Doguwa as winner was characterized by large scale electoral fraud that was confirmed by the electoral officer of the constituency.

According to the petitioners, the basis to challenge the Doguwa’s victory was due to malpractices allegedly perpetrated by the APC and supporters of Doguwa.

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The petitioners lamented that Doguwa’s fraudulent act during the election was clearly attested to by the returning officer who openly pronounced that he was compelled under duress to declare Doguwa as the winner.

Aside the withdrawal of certificate of return, the petitioners asked the tribunal to upturn the February election and order for fresh poll based on the fact that the earlier poll was marred by violence and malpractices deliberately orchestrated to edge the NNPP out of the contest.

NNPP has lost two attempts to halt the supplementary poll that eventually produced Doguwa as winner of the senatorial district. The tribunal had earlier declared jurisdiction to stop the supplementary poll insisted the tribunal cannot entertain matters on election that was not concluded.

Similarly, the Court of Appeal, Kano division also dismissed the NNPP’s suit seeking to compel the tribunal to grant its application. The appellate court had advised the NNPP and the candidate to rather raise their objection against Doguwa’s victory through petition at the tribunal.