The Supreme Court has affirmed the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, as the All Progressives Congress, APC, senatorial candidate for Yobe North in the coming 2023 general election.
In a majority judgment delivered on Monday, the apex court allowed the appeal filed by the APC against Bashir Machina’s candidature.
APC has claimed that Lawan was the authentic Senatorial candidate for Yobe North in the 2023 election.
The counsel for the party, Sepiribo Peters at the last hearing argued that the primary election held on 28 May last year which produced Machina was in breach of the Electoral Act 2022.
Peters contended that one Danjuma Manga who conducted the primary election which produced Machina was not nominated by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.
He told the court that the APC cancelled the primary poll on account of the irregularities observed during the exercise.
Peters argued that the other primary held on 9 June was conducted by the APC NWC, and produced Lawan as the party’s authentic candidate.
However, Machina’s lawyer, Sarafa Yusuf prayed to the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal for lacking in merit on the ground that the Senate President did not challenge the suits at both the trial and lower courts.
He also pointed out that Manga who conducted the primary election where Machina emerged, was a member of the NWC-appointed Committee to carry out the exercise.
Justice Centus Nweze, however, in a judgement on Monday faulted the approach of Machina in commencing the suit at the Federal High Court Damaturu division by way of originating summons and without oral evidence to prove allegations of fraud.
