Despite Arson, Murder Charges, House Majority Leader Doguwa Elected For 5th Term

Despite having arson and murder charges strapped around his neck, House Majority Leader, Alhasan Ado Doguwa fought the dominant party in Kano State, the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, to secure a 5th term in the House of Representatives.

Doguwa on Saturday emerged as Reps-member elect on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, having earlier been stripped of victory in strange circumstances.

The controversial lawmaker who would juggle House Sitting with keeping a date in court was announced the winner of the 25 February House of Representatives elections for Doguwa and Tudunwada Federal Constituency but saw the victory chalked off by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, over violence and other electoral offences.

He was declared wanted by the police and subsequently arrested at the Kano airport on February 28 as he tried to flee the state to Abuja after the election on account of leading irate thugs to burn down NNPP-Kano’s office.

The attack led to over half a dozen deaths according to the Police.

He was arraigned in court on various charges bordering on arson, criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, causing grievous hurt, mischief by fire, and inciting disturbance, according to the statement issued by Kano State Commissioner of Police, CP Muhammad Yakubu.

The Returning Officer during the 25 February, Ibrahim Adamu Yakasai, had said that he announced the result under duress.

But Yakassai recanted when he presented the report of the election at the INEC headquarters saying he made the announcement “under duress.”

INEC subsequently annulled the election and fixed a supplementary election for Saturday 15.

In announcing the result of the supplementary election for the constituency, the Returning Officer, Professor Sani Ibrahim, said Doguwa scored the highest votes cast of 41,573.

He defeated his closest rival, Yushau Salisu of the NNPP, who polled 34,831 votes in an election that was held in eight wards in Tudunwada local government of the state.