Court disqualifies APC's Taraba governorship candidate, Danladi, for falsifying age

The court barred the former Taraba deputy governor and acting governor for allegedly falsifying his age in the documents he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

A certain Usman Udi and three others had filed the suit, marked FHC/JAL/CS/1/2019, against Danladi, the APC and INEC, accusing the candidate of false declaration of age.

The plaintiffs argued that the February 14, 1968 date of birth recorded in Danladi's personal particulars was in conflict with the April 3, 1977 date of birth recorded in his West African Senior School Certificate that was submitted to INEC.

The presiding judge, Justice Steven Pam, ruled that there were discrepancies in Danladi's age declaration submitted to INEC and disqualified him.

"That the information given by the 1st defendant (Abubakar Sani Danladi) as to his age in the affidavit in support of his personal particulars in the INEC Form CF001 submitted to the 3rd defendant (The Independent National Electoral Commission) by him is hereby declared false.

"That the 1st defendant is hereby disqualified from contesting election as the candidate of the 2nd defendant (The All Progressives Congress) in the governorship election for Taraba State slated for 9th March, 2019 or any subsequent date to be slated on the ground that the information contained in the affidavit in support of the 1st defendant's personal particulars in the INEC Form CF001 submitted to the 3rd defendant as to his age is false," the judge ruled.

In 2017, the Supreme Court sacked Danladi as the Senator representing Taraba North senatorial district after the primary election that led to his emergence as winner was overturned in favour of his opponent, Shuaibu Lau.

He proceeded to later dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to move to the APC.