Toba Owojaiye reportingÂ
Kaduna , Kaduna StateÂ
The legislative structure of Kaduna State has received a shock. The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned the election victory of Yusuf Liman, the Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly.
Truth Live News has gathered that the court has ordered a rerun in five specific polling units, a significant reduction from the 42 initially mandated by the State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal on September 30.
The tribunal’s decision to nullify Liman’s victory followed a petition by Solomon Katuka, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, who alleged widespread irregularities in the March 18, 2023, House of Assembly Election in the Makera constituency. Katuka argued that he, not Liman, rightfully won the election.
The affected polling units, now subject to rerun, include 37 in Makera ward, 2 in Barnawa ward, 1 in Kakuri Gwari ward, 1 in Television ward, and 1 in Kakuri Hausa ward.
Displeased with the tribunal’s ruling, Liman and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) filed an appeal, contesting the decision. However, the Appeal Court, led by Justices O. O Adejumo, A . O Oyetula, and P. An Obiora, upheld the nullification but reduced the rerun scope to only five polling units.
With the court’s decision, the APC candidate maintains a lead with 17,470 votes over the PDP’s 17,088. The nullification was based on a narrow margin of 382 votes, falling short of the number of Permanent Voter Cards collected in the affected polling units. This ruling sets the stage for a closely watched electoral rerun in the specified units.