THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed the name of Alhassan Ado Doguwa, Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, from the list of election winners in the February 25 National Assembly elections.
Doguwa was initially declared winner of the House of Representatives seat for the Doguwa/Tudunwada constituency of Kano State.
He was reported to have polled 39,732 votes to defeat his closest rival, Yushau Salisu Abdullahi of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), who got 34,798 votes.
But in the Commission, in a list of House of Representatives members published on Twitter on Tuesday, March 7, ommitted Doguwa’s name.
In a now deleted statement attached to the list, INEC said Doguwa’s declaration as the winner of the election was made under duress.
Section 65 (1) of the 2022 Electoral Act empowers INEC to review the declaration made by a returning officer under duress.
List of Members-Elect of the House of Representatives (2) pic.twitter.com/0SqHLWWn4Y
— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) March 6, 2023
The ICIR had reported that Doguwa was arrested for allegedly leading an attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in his constituency, which resulted in the death of three people.
It was alleged that the INEC official declared Doguwa the winner of the election at gunpoint.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the Kano State, Abdullahi Kiyawa said Doguwa was apprehended at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on March 1 while travelling out of the state.
Kiyawa disclosed that the Commissioner of Police in charge of the 2023 General Election, Kano State Command, Muhammad Yakubu, directed the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to carry out a thorough investigation following complaints received on the gruesome murder of three persons and the alleged viral video of some victims with suspected gunshots in the social media.
On February 27th, the department extended a formal invitation to Doguwa for his alleged complicity in the incident, but he refused to honour the invitation, leaving the command with no other option but to activate a motion that would lead to his arrest.
Detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Bompai Kano arrested him at the airport.
The House Majority Leader was subsequently arraigned and remanded in prison custody by a chief magistrates’ court in Kano on March 1.
He is standing trial over alleged criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, unlawful possession of a firearm, mischief and public disturbance.
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