Witness testifies against Buhari’s ex-aide candidature

A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has fixed February 12 for the testimony of Prosecution Witness One (PW1) in the trial involving former Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on House of Representatives, Abdulrahman Sulaiman Kawu Sumaila. Sumaila was sued by Alhaji Muhammed Shamsuddeen Bello, a House of Representatives candidate of the All Progressive […]

A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has fixed February 12 for the testimony of Prosecution Witness One (PW1) in the trial involving former Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on House of Representatives, Abdulrahman Sulaiman Kawu Sumaila.

Sumaila was sued by Alhaji Muhammed Shamsuddeen Bello, a House of Representatives candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) challenging the eligibility of his contest.

Also parties in the case were the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and All Progressive Congress (APC) as 1st and 2nd respondents respectively.

Both Sumaila and Bello were members of the ruling APC in Kano but were at loggerhead over the contest of Takai/Sumaila federal constituency in the forthcoming general elections.

Bello is in court challenging INEC, APC and Sumaila for substituting his name with Sumaila as APC’s candidate for Takai/Sumaila federal constituency.

Bello argued that Kawu had never contested for the position in the last APC’s primary election conducted in Kano.

He told the court that Sumaila rather contested for the position of Kano South senatorial district in the last primary election and lost to Senator Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya.

He told the court that Kawu’s name was strangely published as candidate for Takai/Sumaila federal constituency on the last day for publication of particulars of candidates.

When the case came up on Thursday, counsel to APC and Sumaila, 2nd and 3rd respondents in the case, Mr Okechukwu Edeze objected a move by the plaintiff’s counsel, Mr Nuraini Jimoh to present the prosecution witness, Alhaji Muhammed Shamsuddeen Bello for his testimony.

Mr Edeze appealed to the court to give him sometimes to study a reply on the point of law by counsel to the plaintiff which he was served with on Wednesday, February 6, 2019.

In his ruling, the presiding judge, Justice Lewis Allagoa adjourned the case to February 12, 2019 for continuation.