Court Substitutes Niger APC LG Candidate After Swearing-in

Justice Muhammed Muhammed of the Niger State High Court 4 has declared Yusuf Aminu Ladan as the authentic All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Chanchaga local government area in the just- concluded council elections in the state even as Dr Mustapha Jibrin Alheri took the oath as the elected chairman one hour before the judgement.

Ladan approached the court and alleged unlawful substitution of his name after the October primary election of the APC in the council.

Justice Mohammed Muhammed after reviewing the claims of the plaintiff and that of the defendant, the APC and the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission passed the judgement that Alheri did not participate in the primary election and that his name was unlawfully submitted to the commission by the APC

Justice Mohammed also held that based on the evidence before the court, Alheri was part of the stakeholders from Chanchaga LGA who conducted the primary election which produced Ladan as the APC consensus candidate for the council.

The court ordered the electoral umpire to present a certificate of return to Ladan and withdraw that of Alheri.

Similarly, the judge ordered the State Executive Council (SEC) to swear in Ladan as the chairman of Chanchaga Council.

The judgement came shortly after the SEC sworn in the 25 elected council chairmen including Alheri.