Sen Aisha Binani
A Federal High Court in Yola on Friday nullified the governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa, which produced Sen Aisha Ahmed Binani as the party’s candidate.
Delivering judgement, Justice Abdulaziz Anka held that the party does not have a governorship candidate for the 2023 general election.
Justice Anka said that the primary election was conducted in substantial non-compliance with party guidelines and other relevant laws and therefore cancelled the primary without ordering a fresh one.
He held that the APC flouted its rules and provisions of the Electoral Act in the conduct of the governorship primary election conducted on May 27 and 28.
The judge also ordered that the result of the election could not stand and dismissed the allegation of vote buying filed by the petitioners.
The court also upheld the petitioners’ allegations of over voting and fielding of delegates from Lamorde local government area where a congress was affirmed not to have been conducted.
Sen Binani had made history by beating six other male aspirants, to become the winner of the primary and was declared the winner.
However, Mr Nuhu Ribadu the petitioner, her closest rival in the primary,,faulted the primary and headed to court to ask that it be nullified.
Ribadu had alleged that delegates from Lamorde, one of the 21 local government areas of the state, did not emerge from a special congress but were illegally allowed to participate in the primary.
The former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) also alleged over voting and vote buying, and prayed for a fresh election that could pass all the tests of credence.
However, the respondent’s counsel, Tomi Ologunorisa, a SAN who spoke to newsmen immediately after the judgement, said his client would appeal the judgment without delay.
Ologunorisa said,”We have listened to his Lordship. Our responsibility now is to study the judgement.
“But one thing I can assure is that we will appeal the judgement. We will do that within the next two weeks.”
