Kano 2023: Court Dismisses Suit Against Abacha’s Candidacy

A suit challenging the nomination of Mr Mohammed Abacha, as the Kano State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in March 11, 2023 election has been dismissed by a federal high court in the state.

The court dismissed the suit filed by his challenger, Jafar Sani Bello, praying the court to void his nomination.

Ballo, a governorship aspirant, who came second behind Abacha in the last governorship primary of the PDP in Kano, had, in the suit marked: FHC/KN/CS/186/2022 sought the nullification of Abacha’s nomination.

The plaintiff, who sought to replace Abacha as the party’s candidate, had claimed among others, that his (Abacha’s) name was not on the membership register of the PDP in Fagge Ward, Fagge local government area of Kano State and as such, he was not qualified to contest the primary election.

In a judgement delivered by Justice A. M. Liman, held among others, that the absence of Abacha’s name on the register of the PDP in Fagge was not enough to disqualify him from contesting the primary election.

Justice Liman, who upheld the arguments by Abacha’s lawyer, Reuben Atabo (SAN), equally held that the PDP membership card issued to Abacha and the waiver granted him by the party were sufficient to qualify him for the primary election.

The judge further held that, having polled the highest number of valid votes cast at the primary election, he (Abacha) was the actual winner and the authentic candidate of the party.

Listed along with Abacha as defendants in the case were the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Sadiq Wali.

Justice Liman had in an earlier judgement delivered via Zoom on December 22 voided the submission of Wali’s name to INEC as the governorship candidate of the PDP in Kano.

The judge held that INEC acted unlawfully to have accepted and published Wali’s name in place of Abacha, who scored the highest votes at the PDP’s gubernatorial primary held in Kano on May 25.

Justice Liman ordered INEC to accept and publish Abacha’s name as PDP’s authentic governorship candidate.

Abacha had claimed that after emerging the winner of the primary, he was surprised that some leaders of the PDP in Kano State sent Wali’s name to INEC as against his own, a decision he challenged by instituting the suit.