BAUCHI: Court strikes out suit by PDP senatorial candidate

A Federal High court sitting in Abuja has struck out the suit filed by a senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi state, Garba Dahiru.

Dahiru had asked the court to declare him the winner of the election in Bauchi South Senatorial District and issue him the certificate of return as the All Progressives Congress (APC) which polled the most votes in the election did not have a candidate.

The APC had failed to provide a candidate as there was confusion in the party over who is the authentic candidate for the Bauchi South senatorial poll is. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) decided to declare the APC the winner of the election.

Results of the February 23 election as announced by INEC showed that the APC garnered 250,725 votes, while Dahiru scored 175,527 votes.

READ ALSO: POLLS: I’ll challenge my defeat because Buhari, Osinbajo, Oshiomhole want me to –Bauchi gov

Returning Officer, Ahmed Sarkin-Fagam, said he could not declare a winner for the election because APC had no candidate recognised by the law. as it had failed to substitute its candidate, Lawal Gumau, as directed earlier by a federal high court.

The judge at the federal high court in Abuja, Taiwo Taiwo, in his ruling on Wednesday, held that it is a post-election matter and that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain it.

He added that the appropriate court for the matter is the election petition tribunal.

Taiwo said the court could not decide on the candidacy of the APC since it is already a subject before the appellate court.

He added that doing so would merely amount to an academic exercise.

Addressing journalists shortly after the judgment, the INEC lawyer, Alhassan Umar, thanked the court for a well-considered judgement, while Prisca Elesike, who is counsel to Mr Dahiru, said: “an appeal is a better option.”

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