A federal high court in Kano has nullified the candidature
of Alex Otti, governor-elect of Abia, and other candidates of the Labour Party
(LP) in Abia and Kano.
Mohammed Yunusa, the presiding judge, ruled that the LP did
not comply with provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act.
The judge gave the ruling on Thursday in a suit filed by
Ibrahim Haruna Ibrahim against the LP and the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC).
The judge held that LP did not submit the register of its
members in the 36 states of the federation to INEC in compliance with the
electoral act.
He said the votes cast for all the candidates of the LP in
Kano and Abia states are therefore “wasted”.
The judge however refused to order INEC to withdraw Otti’s
certificate of return.
He said since the candidates that participated in the Abia
election are not parties before the court, he lacks the jurisdiction to make an
order on the issuance of certificate of return.
The judge said the affected parties are at liberty to “seek
the said redress in the appropriate division of the court”.
“That the failure of the 1st Defendant (Labour Party) to
submit its register of members in Kano state and Abia state is in crass breach
of the provisions of section 77(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the purported
primary elections of the 1st defendant is invalid, null and void and of no
effect,” the judge said.
“That the fundamentally flawed primary elections of the 1st
defendant (Labour party) as a result of failure to comply with the mandatory
provisions of section 77(2) and (3) cannot produce a qualified candidate that
participated in the General Elections as held on the 25th of February, 2023 and
18th of march, 2023 respectively for all the elective positions in Kano state
and Abia state.
“That the void Primary Elections of the 1 Defendant cannot
produce eligible candidates to be sponsored by the 1 Defendant in the General
Election and the participation of the candidates of the 1st Defendant in the
election in Kano State and Abia State is of no moment and waste of time.
“That the votes cast
for all the candidates of the 1st defendant in Kano state and Abia state in the
general elections of 2023 are wasted votes.”
On March 22, INEC declared Otti as the winner of the
governorship poll in Abia state.
He polled 175,467 to defeat Okey Ahiwe, his closest rival
and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 88,529 votes.
The same fate awaiting Obi. Overnight candidates will be nullifieded by court
ReplyDeleteAs court pleases
ReplyDeleteWhich stupid court in Kano is delivering stupid judgement in favour of stupid parties and individuals? What useless judge is doing this paid useless job? I am sure if Ike Ekweremadu was to be tried in Nigeria, even supreme court cannot find him guilty. Our justice system is typical nonsense. Enough of these idiotic write-ups that no bearing at all.
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