Tribunal nullifies APC lawmaker's election for being under age

The State and National Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Minna on Tuesday nullified the election of Murtala Badaru (APC-Suleja) in the Niger House of Assembly.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the petitioner, Shaibu Iya of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had challenged the election of Badaru on the grounds of certificate forgery and underage.

The Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Olatunde Oshodi, while delivering judgment, said Badaru was not found guilty of certificate forgery as alleged by the petitioner.

However, Oshodi held that Badaru did not attain the constitutional age of 30 to be a lawmaker.

He thereafter nullified the election and ordered INEC to conduct fresh elections within 90 days‎.

In a swift reaction, Counsel to Badaru, Mr Chris Osuagwu, told newsmen that his client would appeal the judgment‎.Meanwhile, the tribunal had affirmed the election of Alhaji Musa Sule (APC-Kachia) in the state House of Assembly.

The tribunal held that the petitioner, Ibrahim Ndaman of the PDP, failed to prove‎ beyond reasonable doubt that Sule forged his certificate from Zungeru Polytechnic and was an ex-convict.

It dismissed the case for lack of merit and ordered the petitioner to pay the sum of N100, 000 each to the first (Sule) and second (APC) respondents in the matter as cost.‎