APC Primaries: Court Delivers Judgement In Machina’s Suit Asking INEC To Reject Ahmed Lawan In Yobe North

The Federal High Court in Damaturu, Yobe State has set September 28 as the deadline for a decision in a suit filed by Bashir Machina, the APC senatorial candidate for Yobe North.

The primary election conducted on May 28, 2022, is at issue in Machina’s lawsuit against the APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and Senate President Ahmad Lawan.

Justice Fadima Aminu had reserved judgement on the tussle regarding the senatorial ticket after a heated argument between counsels to the plaintiff and the defendants.

Machina is asking the court to declare him as the authentic senatorial candidate of the APC for the 2023 election.

With the new development, his fate will be determined on Wednesday by the court.

Lawan is currently locked in battle with Machina for the ticket.

Machina emerged the winner of the primary election supervised by INEC officials. The senate president did not participate in the primary election.

At the time the exercise was held, Lawan was pursuing his presidential ambition but lost out at the end.

Rather than submit the name of the elected candidate, the name of the senate president was submitted to the commission by the ruling APC, a move that led to the deliberate omission of their names from the published particulars of candidates in late June.

To clarify the brewing controversy around the seat, INEC, on at least two occasions, said it rejected the senate president’s name because he had not been validly nominated for the senatorial seat.

The commission, however, urged the duo to resolve their issues internally or seek redress in court.