By Ishaya Ibrahim
Former Governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, has been disqualified as the Senator representing Kano Central in the National Assembly.
The Supreme Court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to replace Shekarau with Rufai Hanga as the Kano Central senatorial candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP.
In a judgment delivered Friday by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, the Supreme Court upheld the judgement of the Court of Appeal, which ordered INEC to recognise Hanga as the candidate.
In the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections, INEC however declared Shekarau winner despite the judgement of the Court of Appeal directing INEC to recognise Hanga as candidate.
Recall that Shekarau fell out with the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in the build up to the election and resigned his membership of the party.
INEC, however, refused to replace his name with Hanga who emerged the candidate of NNPP for the Kano Central Senatorial seat.
During the presentation of Certificate of Return to Senators-Elect on Tuesday, Shekarau was not available to collect his Certificate of Return from INEC.