The Court of Appeal sitting in Yola on Thursday upheld the gubernatorial candidacy of All Progressive Congress (APC) candidates Emmanuel Bwacha and Aishatu Binani for Taraba and Adamawa states respectively.
The Court of Appeal, in a unanimous decision of the judges, overturned a High Court ruling annulling the primaries that produced their candidacy and ordered their names to be submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the APC gubernatorial candidates. for the 2 states
The Court of Appeal had a 3-judge panel chaired by Judge T. Y Hassan, with 2 other judges, namely MO Bolaji and JG Abundaga.
For the record: Recall that on September 20, 2022, a Jalingo-based Federal High Court presided over by Judge Simon Amobeda, annulled the gubernatorial primary election that produced Senator Emmanuel Bwacha as the All Progressive Congress candidate in the 2023 election.
In his ruling in the case brought by one of the gubernatorial hopefuls, David Kente, the judge ordered INEC to hold a new gubernatorial primary election in the state within 14 days.
The judge argued that it is not possible for all primary results to have the same letter, while the canvassing officer stated that no primary was held in the state at police headquarters due to security threats.
The court also ordered Bwacha to stop running as the APC gubernatorial candidate, as well as INEC to stop recognizing him as a candidate.
Bwacha, a former member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and former Senate Deputy Minority Leader, later appealed the ruling, claiming that the ruling PDP in Taraba state is the main cause of APC’s problems within the state. .
In a related development, the Federal High Court in Yola, Adamawa State, on October 13, quashed Binani’s candidacy as the APC gubernatorial candidate in the state.
In a lawsuit FHC/YL/CS/12/2022 filed by another APC governor hopeful in Adamawa, Nuhu Ribadu, the court declared Binani’s candidacy invalid and illegal.
Judge Abdulaziz Anka stated that the sentence was based on substantial evidence of non-compliance with party guidelines and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The court also refused to order a new APC gubernatorial primary in Adamawa state.
Dissatisfied with the court’s ruling, which refused to order a new primary that would have allowed him to compete in a new gubernatorial primary, Ribadu filed an appeal in lawsuit NO.CA/YL/203/2022 between himself and All Progressives Congress. and two others.