Supreme Court, on Monday, declared Senate President Ahmed Lawan as the authentic candidate of the All Progressives Congress for Yobe North Senatorial District.
By this judgement, the apex court sacked Bashir Machina earlier recognised by the Federal High Court in Damaturu and Court of Appeal in Abuja.
Justice Centus Nweze, who read the lead judgement, faulted the approach of Bashir Machina in commencing the suit at the Federal High Court Damaturu Division through originating summons and without oral evidence to prove allegations of fraud.
Federal High Court sitting in Damaturu had ordered the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise Machina as the senatorial candidate for Yobe North.
Justice Fadimatu Aminu, in her judgment, had directed the APC to submit Machina’s name to the INEC as the rightful winner of the party’s May 28 primary election in the district.
Justice Aminu’s ruling was also upheld by a
three-member panel led by Justice Monica Dagban-Mensah of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, affirming Machina’s nomination as the authentic candidate of the APC for the senatorial district.
The Court of Appeal had observed that the APC argued its case and that of Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, in its brief, but failed to make him a co-appellant, instead of being the 2nd respondent.
Lawan had lost the APC presidential primary to a former Lagos governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who later emerged as the APC presidential candidate.
The Senate President did not take part in the Yobe North Senatorial primary, the party had sent his name to INEC as its candidate, which the electoral body turned down.
But Machina, who won the primary, had resisted pressure to step down for Lawan. He later headed for the courts to seek justice.