The state’s governorship primary poll, which resulted in Senator Emmanuel Bwacha being chosen as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the 2023 election, was declared invalid on Tuesday by a Federal High Court in Taraba State.
David Sabo Kente, a candidate for governor, initiated the lawsuit.
The primary results cannot all be written in the same handwriting, according to Justice Simon Amobeda’s ruling, and the returning officer declared that no primary was held in the state at the police headquarters because of security threats.
Amobeda gave the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) a 14-day deadline to organize a new governorship primary in the state.
Additionally, he directed INEC to discontinue designating Senator Bwacha as the party’s candidate.
The court decided that Bwacha should discontinue posing as the APC’s candidate for governor.
In response to the decision, Bwacha’s counsel, Barrister Ibrahim Iffiong, stated that he would review the decision and speak with his client before deciding whether to file an appeal.
Kente, on the other hand, hailed the court’s decision as historic since it represented the end of the age of impunity.
He argued that the evidence presented to the court, which was a factor in the decision, supported his and the views of the majority of party supporters in the state, who held that there had not been any primaries. He urged the party faithful to maintain their composure.