The National and State House of Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal Sitting in Kano State has sacked Muktar Umar Yarima, member of the House of Representatives, representing Tarauni Federal Constituency over a certificate forgery.
Yerima is a member of the House of Representatives under the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Mr. Yarima was declared winner in the February 25 election, defeating Hafizu Kawu of All Progressives Congress (APC).
The tribunal’s three-man panel led by Justice I.P. Chima held that Yerima was not qualified having forged his primary school certificate that was submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to the tribunal, the case of the Petitioner, Kawu of the APC challenging Yerima’s emergence succeeded having proven a case of forgery against the NNPP candidate.
The tribunal, therefore, held that the NNPP had no candidate in the election and all the votes that were cast for Yerima were wasted votes.
The tribunal had held that Yerima’s defence that he had a change of name in 2022 did not hold water, having been using three (Umar Mukhtar Zakari) names on his international passports since 2009, while his primary school certificate still bears Umar Mukhtar.
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It also held that the said primary school, Hausawa Primary School, has disowned the certificate tendered by the sacked lawmaker.
It thereafter directed INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return earlier issued to Yerima.
Meanwhile, an Upper Customary Court in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, has sentenced a 30-year-old man, Bege Mato, to six months in a correctional facility for cheating.
The defendant, who resides within the Kamuru axis of Kaduna, was charged with criminal breach of trust and cheating.
The Police Prosecutor, Insp Esther Bishen, told the court that the complainant, Julius Jonah, reported the matter at the Kafanchan Divisional Police station on July 25.
Bishen told the court that the complainant, who resides at Bakin Kogi, allegedly paid the defendant with N795, 000, to supply him with ginger.
The prosecutor alleged that while the defendant only supplied N535,000 worth of ginger, he converted the remaining N260,000 to his personal use.
Bishen said the offences contravened sections 296 and 306 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law.
The defendant, who pleaded guilty of the charges begged the court for leniency.
The presiding Judge, George Gwani, accordingly sentenced the defendant to three months in prison.
He, however, gave the convict an option of fine to pay N15, 000 for the first count.
Gwani, who further sentenced the convict to six months in prison on the second count, however, gave him the option to pay a fine of N25,000.
According to the judge, both sentences are to run concurrently.
The judge made an order, asking the convict to pay the complainant a compensation of N260,000