Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
The Federal High Court in Yola has cancelled the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in Adamawa State, citing the party’s lack of a governorship candidate for the 2023 general election. The court ruled on Friday that the APC violated its own rules and provisions of the Electoral Act in conducting the Adamawa State governorship primary on May 27 and 28, and that the election result could not be upheld.
Our correspondent recalls that Senator Aishatu Ahmed (Binani) made history by defeating six other aspirants, all of whom were men, to win the said primary and be declared the ticket bearer. His primary opponent, Nuhu Ribadu, had criticized the primary and went to court to have it overturned.
Ribadu claimed that delegates from Lamorde, one of the state’s 21 local government areas, did not emerge from a special congress but were illegally permitted to vote in the primary election. Ribadu had also alleged over voting and vote buying, calling for a new election that would pass all credibility tests.
In his decision on Friday, Justice Abdulaziz Anka of the Federal High Court 1, Yola, stated that the primary was conducted in significant violation of party guidelines and other relevant laws. Although he dismissed the issue of vote buying, he did mention overvoting and the fielding of delegates from the Lamurde local government area, where no congress was held. He canceled the primary without ordering a replacement. Binani’s lawyer, Tomi Ologunorisa, told reporters immediately after the verdict that it would be appealed.
