Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has dismissed the suit challenging the emergence of Senator Uba Sani as gubernatorial candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress, (APC) in Kaduna State. The Presiding Judge, Justice Mohammed Garba Umar who delivered the judgement on Friday in Kaduna, said the court lack the jurisdiction to deliver judgement on the said matter.
The Court according to the ruling declined in hearing the suit because it has no jurisdiction on the ground that it is a party affair and not a post or pre-election matter. Recalled that Hon. Sani Mahmud Sha’aban had filed a case, challenging the legality of the emergence of Senator Uba Sani at the APC governorship primary election held in May, 2022, alleging that the election was conducted without legal and due delegates.
Sha’aban had on 20th June, dragged Uba Sani and other APC stakeholders before the federal high court where he alleged that the primary that produced Uba Sani and others as candidates for the 2023 polls should be declared null and void, adding that the party’s statutory delegates were substituted by people who could barely read or write, to do the bidding of Uba Sani and his sponsors.
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Counsel to Senator Uba Sani, Barrister Sanusi Musa, said he had argued it earlier that the court needs the approval of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN) before it could be filed in Kaduna. Speaking with newsmen shortly after the judgement, Counsel to Sha’aban, John Mshelia said, he will approach his client and then get directives on what the next step would be.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State APC Campaign Council welcomed the ruling of the Federal High Court, describing it as a thorough and timely intervention in the nation’s quest to deepen democracy, minimise intra-party divisions and entrench the rule of law. The Council in a statement signed by its Director-General, Professor Muhammad Sani Bello said, “Now that the allegations of discrepancies and fraud said to have characterised the conduct of the primary election of the party in the state have been dismissed, the APC can comfortably carry on with the campaign to win the hearts and minds of the electorate.
“Although Senator Uba Sani had been declared winner of the primary election after polling 1,149 votes while Sha’aban and Bashir Abubakar scored 10 and 37 votes respectively, the APC needs all hands on deck for the forthcoming general elections. The Kaduna State Campaign Council will continue to engage with all the APC aspirants for the success of the party in next year’s polls,” the statement read.