Illegality: Court clears Reps aspirant to contest election

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

The Bauchi State High Court 4 presided over by Justice Rabi T Umar has cleared Alhaji Aminu Mohammed Danmalikin Bauchi , pronouncing him qualified to contest any election.

Mohammed who was a one-time House of Representatives member had sued the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), asking the court to declare the him legally qualified for nomination as a candidate of the PDP, to contest any elective office, particularly the House of Representatives.

The Plaintiff in his affidavit said he was allegedly indicted by Justice Bala Umar Commission of Inquiry in the Bauchi Publishing and Printing Company Limited (BPPC) fire disaster of 1992, about 22 years ago, and by provision of section 66 (1) of the constitution is not within the period of 10 years before the date of election in 2014.

He told the court that in 2004 the state High Court 4, in a suit (BA/01/2004) quashed the Justice Bala Umar Commission of Inquiry report together with the Mohammed A Abubakar white paper committee into the fire disaster at BPPC.

In her judgment yesterday,y the presiding Judge, Justice Rabi said “its hereby ordered that the plaintiff as per requirement of section 65 and 66 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended is qualified for membership of the national assembly or any elective office”