The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has issued
Certificate of Return to Shamsuddeen Bello Dambazau as the House of
Representatives member-elect for Sumaila/Takai Federal Constituency in
Kano State.
The development was sequel to a verdict of a Federal High Court sitting in Kano, which disqualified Alhaji AbdulRahman Sulaiman Kawu Sumaila,
as the duly elected member of the House of Representatives on the
platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, during the February 23,
2019, general elections.
Shamsuddeen, son to the incumbent minister of Interior, Abdulrahman
Dambazau, had approached the court to challenge the electoral victory of
Kawu-Sumaila on the ground that he never participated at the House of
Representatives primary election of the All Progressive Congress in the
Federal Constituency.
Issuing the Certificate of Return in Abuja on Tuesday, INEC’s
National Commissioner, Amina Zakari said the issuance of the certificate
is on the order of the court which the body obeys.
“INEC is a law-abiding organization and respects the rule of law
hence the issuance of the certificate to Alhaji Muhammad Shamsuddeen,’’
said Amina Zakari.
Kawu-Sumaila was a former Senior Special Assitant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly matters.
Kawu Sumaila joined politics in 1991. He was a member of the Social
Democratic Party (SDP), member of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM),
which later merged with some other political groups in the country to
form what is today known as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Kawu served as Deputy State Organizing Secretary and Kano state house
of assembly aspirant of PDM and PDP in 1995 and 1999 subsequently.
He was a three term member of Nigeria House of Representatives and
held the position of Deputy Minority Leader of the 6th and 7th House of
Representatives of Nigeria.
