The House of Representatives on Wednesday formally welcomed a new member, Shuaibu Rabiu, who was sworn in as the lawmaker representing Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency of Kano State following his victory in a recent by-election.
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen administered the oath of office to Mr Rabiu, officially admitting him into the 10th House.
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His swearing-in comes weeks after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted a by-election to fill the vacant seat in the constituency.
The vacancy arose following the death of the constituency’s former representative, Muhammad Danjuma-Hassan of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
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Under Section 76(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Independent National Electoral Commission is required to conduct a by-election to fill a vacancy in the National Assembly where the vacancy occurs more than three months before the expiration of the House’s tenure. The constitutional provision is intended to ensure that affected constituencies do not remain without representation.
INEC conducted the by-election on 20 June, after which Mr Rabiu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), emerged victorious.
Declaring the result, the Returning Officer, Umar Sani, said Mr Rabiu secured 35,356 votes to defeat other candidates in the contest.
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According to the official results, Lawal Garba-Haruna of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) came second with 268 votes, while Abubakar Yahaya-Muhammad of the Labour Party (LP) polled 98 votes.
Mr Sani said the outcome was based on results collated from polling units across the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency.
With his inauguration, Mr Rabiu will now participate fully in legislative proceedings, including debates, committee assignments and consideration of bills and motions before the House.
His swearing-in restores full representation for the people of Dawakin Kudu and Warawa Federal Constituency, who had been without a representative since the death of Mr Danjuma-Hassan.
