A’Court Affirms Machina As Yobe North APC Senatorial Candidate

Senate President Ahmad Lawan has lost the battle for the senatorial ticket of Yobe North senatorial district of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The judgement was delivered at the Court of Appeal yesterday in Abuja.

The court affirmed Bashir Sheriff as the authentic candidate of the APC for Yobe North senatorial district of Yobe State.

President, Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensen, who presided over a three-man panel, gave the affirmation in an appeal by the APC challenging the decision of Justice Fadimatu Aminu of the Federal High Court Damaturu,  which had on September 28, 2022, declared  Machina as winner of the primary election organised by the party in May 2022, while Lawan opted to contest the presidential primary election organised by the APC in June.

Lawan lost the APC presidential ticket to former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu.

However, Machina was asked to step down for Lawan but he insisted that he would not withdraw for the Senate President.

In the face of the controversy, the APC submitted the Senate President’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its senatorial candidate for Yobe North.

Miffed by the development, Machina headed to court to seek redress.

Specifically, Machina in his suit, asked the court to declare him as the validly elected senatorial candidate of the APC for the 2023 election.

Justice Aminu had nullified the parallel primary election that produced Lawan on June 9, 2022.

Consequently, the trial judge ordered the APC to forward the name of Machina to INEC as the authentic winner of the primary held in May.