Taraba: Court sacks federal lawmaker

A Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, North-East Nigeria has sacked the Member representing Bali/Gasol federal constituency in the National Assembly, Hon. Mubarak Gembo.

The presiding judge, Justice Simon Amonbita, in his four-hour ruling, ordered that the Certificate of Return issued to Gembo by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) be withdrawn immediately.

The Judge noted that unless a candidate participates in the process of an election, he or she cannot be issued a certificate of return by INEC as in the case of Gembo.

The court further ordered Gembo to stop parading himself as the Member representing Bali, Gasol federal constituency in the House of Representatives.

The presiding judge also ordered Gembo to return all the monies collected by him as salary and allowances since assumption of office as Member of House of Representatives since he used fraudulent means of obtaining the certificate of return from INEC.

Justice Amonbita, therefore, ruled that INEC should issue a certificate of return to Garba Hamanjurde, who had participated satisfactorily in the processes of the Bali/Gasol federal constituency election with immediate effect.

In his reaction, the counsel to Mubarak Gembo, Festus Idekpefor (SAN), said he will wait for the decision of his client on the judgement on whether to appeal the judgment.

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On his part, counsel to Hon. Garba Hamanjurde, Barr. Saad Waziri praised the judgement and called on both parties to comply with the judicial pronouncement by swearing-in his client as Member representing Bali, Gasol federal constituency in the National Assembly.

Reacting to the verdict, Hamanjurde said the judiciary has once again proven its integrity, adding that he was waiting to see the implementation of the judgment.

Zainab Sa’id