The Court of Appeal sitting in Yola, the Adamawa state capital, has on Tuesday, November 17, upheld the ruling by the Taraba state National Assembly tribunal which sacked Bashir Marafa as senator representing Taraba Central Senatorial District.
In their separate judgements, the three Jummai Sankey, Duobele Abraham and Ridwan Maiwada of the Court of Appeal, unanimously agreed the appeal lacked merit and was therefore dismissed.
According to Sahara Reporters, Marafa who had represented the constituency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party was on September 30, told by the tribunal to vacate the seat and be replaced by Yusuf Abubakar, an All Progressives Congress candidate.
The tribunal also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue Certificate of Return to Abubakar as the actual representative of the people of Taraba Central Senatorial District.
One of the members of the tribunal, Suleiman Yusuf, upon the pronouncement of the verdict said that the petitioners in case, the APC, and its candidate, had proved their case beyond reasonable doubt.
According to the tribunal, the sacked Senator Marafa could not stand as he did not score the lawful majority votes in the March 28 election.
The tribunal therefore ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to return Abubakar as the candidate that scored the majority lawful votes during the polls.
Dissatisfied by the ruling of the tribunal, Marafa had to take the case to the Court of Appeal.
Speaking after the judgement, the Taraba state chairman of APC, Hassan Ardo, expressed satisfaction and lauded the judiciary for living up to expectation.
Ardo urged all APC supporters in the state to continue to remain calm as the party reclaims its mandates.
Meanwhile, the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of hiring two thousand people to make their protest bloody.
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