A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has disqualified Abba Yusuf from being fielded as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Saturday’s Kano State governorship election.
Lewis Allagoa, the presiding judge, delivered the judgement on Monday in the case brought before the court by Ibrahim Al- Amin, a PDP gubernatorial aspirant.
Read Also: Kano PDP Rejects Governorship Primary Election
Al-Amin had gone to the court to challenge the primary process and the emergence of Yusuf as the party’s governorship candidate in Kano State.
Al-Amin alleged that the PDP during the primary election “sidelined and booted him out” of the race.
Judge Allagoa held that the opposition party failed to conduct a proper governorship primary to select its candidate in the state and, therefore, nullified the election that led to the emergence of Yusuf.
The judge ruled that the party had no incontrovertible reason to deny the plaintiff participating in the primary election because he formally brought his expression and nomination form.
Justice Allagoa also held that denying the plaintiff the right to participate in the primary election, contravened the provision of the Electoral Act.
The judge ordered that a valid fresh primary election before the forthcoming governorship election on March 9 in the country.
However, Bashir Yusuf, counsel to the PDP, said the verdict did not affect the candidate but the party.
The ruling is a major blow to the opposition party as it comes just five days before the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled to take place.
Discussion about this post