BREAKING: Opponent Takes Over Elisha Abbo’s Seat In Senate After Court Verdict

Amos Yohanna, the major rival of former Senator Elisha Abbo, has been officially sworn in as the new Senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial District.

The inauguration took place at the beginning of the Wednesday session, presided over by Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau.

Yohanna, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), assumed office following the removal of Abbo, who was ousted by the Appeal Court on Monday. The Court of Appeal in Abuja invalidated Abbo’s election as a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) after he was initially declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the February 25, 2023 parliamentary election.

Yohanna contested the results, and the tribunal initially dismissed his petition for lacking merit. However, he pursued the case to the Appeal Court. After a careful consideration of arguments from all parties, the Appeal Court agreed with Yohanna’s counsel, Johnson Usman (SAN), that there was no compliance with the Electoral Act, specifically citing Section 137 of the Electoral Act, 2022. The court, therefore, deducted invalid votes and declared Yohanna and the PDP as the winners of the election based on the majority of lawful votes.

In response to the judgment, Abbo initially alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio was involved in his removal. However, he later retracted his statement, apologizing to Akpabio and acknowledging that Akpabio was not involved in the court’s decision.