Lawan Wins Yobe Senatorial Candidacy, As Supreme Court Rules Against Machina

The Supreme Court on Monday confirmed Senate President Ahmed Lawan as the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Yobe North.

The APC had launched a complaint against Bashir Machina’s candidacy before the apex bank.

Lawan, according to the APC, is the genuine Senatorial contender for Yobe North in the 2023 election.

At the last hearing, the party’s counsel, Sepiribo Peters, stated that the primary election held on May 28, 2018, which produced Machina, violated the Electoral Act 2022.

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Peters said that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party did not nominate Danjuma Manga, who conducted the primary election that produced Machina.

He told the court that the APC canceled the primary election due to anomalies discovered during the process.

Peters contended that the alternative primary, held on June 9, was run by the APC NWC and produced Lawan as the party’s genuine candidate.

However, Machina’s lawyer, Sarafa Yusuf, petitioned the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal for lack of merit, citing the Senate President’s failure to challenge the claims in both the trial and lower courts.

He further noted that Manga, who oversaw the primary election in which Machina was elected, was a member of the NWC-appointed Committee in charge of the process.

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However, in a decision issued on Monday, Justice Centus Nweze criticized Machina’s method in initiating the suit at the Federal High Court Damaturu division by way of originating summons and without oral evidence to support charges of fraud.

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