By Ismail Auwal
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has delisted the name of the infamous Alhassan Ado Doguwa from the list of the winners of the House of Representatives election.
The decision might not be unconnected to the INEC’s claim that Doguwa was announced as a winner by the returning officer the election under duress.
INEC had earlier posted the claim on its website on Monday evening.
Doguwa was arrested by the police last week and was taken before a chief magistrate’s court presided over by Judge Ibrahim Mansur, who ordered that he should be remandrd in prison custody.
However, yesterday a Federal High Court in Kano, presided over by Justice Muhammad Yunusa, granted him bail in the sum of N500m and 2 sureties among other stringent conditions.
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC Chairman, has vowed that the Commission will not issue certificates of return to candidates whose poll officials announced their results under duress.
Yakubu stressed that “the commission will not tolerate the act of holding our officials hostage and forcing them to declare winners under duress. Where such occurs, the Commission will not reward bad behavior by issuing them Certificates of Return”.
By virtue of Section 65 of the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC can now, within 7 days, review results declared by a returning officer under duress or where such a declaration was made contrary to the provision of the law, regulations and guidelines, and manual for the election.
This is without prejudice to the jurisdiction of a court of competent jurisdiction or election tribunal to review the decision of the returning officer.
