Just In: Senate Swears In Elisha Abbo’s Replacement

• The Senate has sworn in Amos Yohanna as the elected senator of the Adamawa North Senatorial District
• The lawmaker was inaugurated at plenary on Wednesday, October 25, replacing the sacked Senator Ishaku Elisha Abbo
• Senator Abbo lost his bid to retain his seat at the appellate court despite his victory at the election petition tribunal
• Legit.ng journalist Segun Adeyemi has over 9 years of experience covering political events, civil society, courts and metro.

FCT, Abuja - Amos Yohanna has officially been inaugurated as the new Senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial District in the Senate.

During the Senate's plenary session, the swearing-in ceremony was overseen by Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau on Wednesday, October 25.

Yohanna, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has taken over the position previously held by Senator Elisha Abbo, who was removed from office by the Appeal Court.

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Abbo, Yohanna's legal battle

The Court of Appeal in Abuja decided to oust Abbo, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a Certificate of Return to Yohanna as the duly elected legislator representing the area in the National Assembly.

This decision overturned the tribunal's previous judgment, which had confirmed Abbo as the winner of the senatorial election on February 25, 2023.

Initially, INEC had declared Abbo as the winner of the election, but the PDP, along with Yohanna, contested this outcome at the tribunal, which ruled against them.

Unsatisfied with the tribunal's verdict, the PDP candidate, represented by his counsel, Johnson Usman, SAN, took the case to the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal, after examining the arguments presented by both sides, agreed with Usman's assertion that the results presented did not comply with Section 137 of the Electoral Act, 2022.

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Meanwhile, the court invalidated some votes from both parties and determined that Yohanna and the PDP had won the election by a majority of lawful votes.

Following the court's decision, Senator Abbo expressed his disagreement with the judgment, characterizing it as an affront to democracy. However, he called on his supporters to remain calm.

"Why I apologise to Akpabio": Sacked Adamawa senator makes fresh revelation

In another report, Senator Abbo has offered an apology to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, retracting his previous claim that Akpabio was responsible for his political difficulties.

Abbo clarified that his apology is not an attempt to regain his Senate position but rather stems from his belief that the Senate President was not involved in the allegations he previously made against him.

This comes after the Court of Appeal ruled against Abbo, and he had previously accused the Senate President of orchestrating his problems during a press conference.

Source: Legit.ng