The Supreme Court has declared Senate President Ahmad Lawan as the authentic candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Yobe North Senatorial District for the forthcoming 25 February general election.
Penpushing reports that the court declared on Monday that the majority judgement held that the decisions of the Federal High Court in Yobe and the Court of Appeal in Abuja were perverse and must be set aside.
The five-member panel led by Justice Centus Nweze made the declaration in a three-against-two split judgement and nullified the two previous verdicts and legitimise All Progressives Congress(APC’s) National Working Committee’s forwarding of Lawan’s name to Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) as flagbearer for the poll.
Penpushing further reports that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had challenged the judgements of the lower courts which affirmed Bashir Machina as the candidate of Yobe North Senatorial District for the election.
The party urged the Supreme Court to nullify the two previous verdicts and legitimize All Progressives Congress ( APC’s) National Working Committee’s forwarding of Lawan’s name to the electoral bodyas flagbearer for the poll.
Penpushing also reports that in the majority decision, the five-man panel posited that Machina ought to have commenced his suit by a writ of summons going by the allegations of fraud levelled against the All Progressives Congress(APC) in transmitting Lawan’s name to the electoral commission.
The two other members of the Supreme Court panel, Justice Adamu Jauro and Justice Emmanuel Agim, however, disagreed with the majority judgement, and in the lead dissenting judgement,Jauro held that the All Progressives Congress(APC) appeal was devoid of merit, and slammed N3 million fine against the All Progressives Congress(APC) in favour of Machina.
Penpushing reports that Justice Agim while reading his dissenting view, posited that the All Progressives Congress (APC’s) primary election held on 9 June, 2022 which produced Lawan was an illegal contraption.
The judge noted that Lawan’s withdrawal from the Yobe North Senatorial District race on 12 May, to vie for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket, automatically disqualified the Senate President from the National Assembly election.
Penpushing further reports that Agim emphasized that the purported primary election held on 9 June 2022, was a ruse as it was not monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
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