Tribunal annuls election of Nigeria’s youngest lawmaker

• Shittu ran on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and won the Owode-Onire constituency seat of Asa local government area
• However, the  PDP candidate in the March 18 election, Abdullahi Yinusa Magaji, filed a petition before the Tribunal to challenge the APC candidate’s victory

The Kwara State National/State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal has said Miss Rukayat Shittu was not duly elected into the State House of Assembly.

Consequently, the tribunal sitting in Ilorin, the State capital, on Saturday, nullified the election of the 26-year-old lawmaker.

Recall that Shittu ran on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and won the Owode-Onire constituency seat of Asa local government area.

However, her closest challenger and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the March 18 election, Abdullahi Yinusa Magaji, filed a petition before the Tribunal to challenge the APC candidate’s victory.

The Tribunal, in its lead judgement delivered by Justice Ademola Enikuomehin, ordered a rerun in five polling units of the constituency in order to determine the actual winner of the legislative seat.

“The petitioners failed in 12 among the contested polling units while five have been proved. The results so far released are hereby cancelled, and the election inconclusive.

“In sum, the petition succeeded in parts and in consequence, I hereby order a rerun of the election in the above polling units to be conducted within 90 days,” the Tribunal ruled.