A Federal High Court sitting in Yola, Adamawa state, has nullified the governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The primary election had produced Senator Aihatu Dahiru Binani as the party’s governorship candidate.
However, in his ruling on Friday, October 14, 2022, Justice Abdul-aziz Anka declared the election, which was conducted by the APC in May, null and void.
According to Sahara Reporters, the judge also annulled the purported victory of Binani as the winner of the election.
Why was APC governorship primary in Adamawa annulled?
During the primary election, Senator Binani polled 430 votes to defeat her closest contender, Nuhu Ribadu, who scored 280 votes.
However, Justice Anka held that 51 (1 to 4) of the Electoral Act was violated as there was ‘overvoting’ in the poll exercise.
According to the judge, 50 delegates from the Lamurde local government area who ought not to have voted during the primary election were allowed to vote.
The judge added that there was no evidence that the party had conducted a Special Adhoc Delegates election there.
Adamawa 2023: Why Ribadu dragged Binani to court
Following his defeat, Ribadu, a former EFCC chairman, dragged Senator Binani to court to challenge her victory.
He claimed that 1,009 delegates were accredited, contrary to the outcome, which indicated that a total of 1,011 votes were cast.
Ribadu, therefore, urged the court to nullify the election and order fresh conduct of another governorship primary.
Adamawa 2023: Court rules that APC cannot field any candidate
Both Ribadu and Senator Binani lost out as the court declared that APC cannot field any candidate in the 2023 election.
The court, nevertheless, said both petitioner and defendants are free to appeal the ruling, Channels TV also reported.
