Two weeks to election, Appeal Court sacks Kaduna Assembly member

By  Luka Binniyat

KADUNA – Two weeks to  his seeking for re-election, and less than nine weeks to the end of his tenure, a Federal Court of Appeal, Tuesday, in Kaduna nullified the election of the member the representing Zonkwa Constituency in the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Mr.  Kantiok Irmiya Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Delivering the judgment, the presiding judge, Justice Joseph Timitur who upheld the earlier decision of the Tribunal, held that Barrister Kantiok was not the true winner of the Party’s primary elections in 2007.

The court further held that Barrister Kantiok’s rival at the 2007 PDP legislative primaries, Mr. Francis Madaki Duniya was wrongly substituted by the Peoples Democratic Party.

Speaking to Journalists, counsel to Mrs. Francis Duniya,  Elisha Y. Kurah who confirmed the decision of the court said the nullification of Kantiok Irimiya was in order.

While thanking his supporters who stood by him during his travails, he expressed confidence in the judiciary, saying  “the  decision of the court is  a sign of good things to come”.

Meanwhile, efforts to speak to Barrister Kantiok and his lawyer proved abortive.

It would be recalled that Francis Duniya had in 2007 primaries pulled 143 votes against other contestants namely, Francis Nyan who scored 3 votes and James Mako who scored only 2 votes as well as Irimiya Ishaku Kantiok pulling 70 votes.  But, the PDP national headquarters substituted his name with that of the incumbent, who just lost the seat.

The former House member had already won the primaries of the PDP to seek re-election in the April 9th  States Houses of Assembly elections for the same constituency.