2015 Kwara central poll: Court to commence suit seeking to jail Saraki’s agent

macfranc007 March 08, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 David Oladele

- Ladi Hassan, who was an agent of Senate President Saraki during the collation of results of the 2015 Kwara central senatorial aistrict election was recently dragged to court

- The case was lodged before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court by a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Abdurahman Abdulrazaq

- Abdulrazaq told the court that Saraki was declared the winner of the election on March 28, 2017, when the results were only collated by Ahmed and Hassan at the district level on March 29, 2015

The Abuja division of the Federal High Court, on Wednesday, March 7, declared that it will commence hearing on a suit seeking to jail one Ladi Hassan, who was agent of the Senate President Bukola Saraki, during the collation of results of the 2015 Kwara central senatorial district election.

Vanguard reports that the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/92/2018, is alleging that Hassan, alongside the collating/returning officer for the Kwara central senatorial poll, Mulkah Ahmed manipulated the outcome of the election.

The case was lodged before the court by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Abdurahman Abdulrazaq.

The plaintiff is seeking an order of mandamus compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which is the sole defendant in the case, to prosecute the duo.

Abdulrazaq who was the Senatorial candidate of the PDP in Kwara central told the court that Saraki was declared the winner of the election on March 28, 2017, when the results were only collated by just Ahmed and Hassan (Saraki’s agent) at the district level on March 29, 2015.

The plaintiff attached to his suit, two sets of exhibits. While exhibit 1, showing that ''Summaries of results from wards and local government areas that make up the senatorial district were finally compiled on March 29, 2015, as the date on each of these forms read the same collation date.''

The second document marked Exhibit 2, was identified as INEC form ec 8E(1) being ''The declaration of results of election compiled by by Mulkah A. Ahmed (the returning officer) and Ladi Hassan, agent to Bukola Saraki.''

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The plaintiff alleged before the court that only Saraki’s agent and the collation officer signed the form.

Besides, the plaintiff, in a supporting affidavit that was deposed to by his aide, Adebayo Oloyin, averred in part, ''That it is a common sense that collation date will always precede declaration date as the collation dictates declaration of results.”

The deponent maintained that the “offence committed” by the persons indicted in the alleged electoral fraud, cost his boss the merit of a petition he filed at the election petition tribunal to challenge Saraki’s election.

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported that the PDP candidate for the Kwara central senatorial district election Abdurahman Abdulrazaq dragged the INEC to the Federal High Court in Abuja for allegedly manipulating the 2015 election in favour of the APC candidate Saraki.

Abdulrazaq was praying the court to compel INEC to prosecute an agent to Saraki during the collation of the results of the 2015 election, Alhaji Ladi Hassan, and the collating/returning officer, Mulkah Ahmed.

He alleged in his suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/92/2018, that Saraki was declared the winner of the election on March 28, 2017, when the results were only allegedly collated by just Ahmed and Hassan (Saraki’s agent) at the district level on March 29, 2015.

EXCLUSIVE: Be patient with President Buhari, Femi Adesina tells Nigerians on NAIJ.com TV: