Yobe North: Senate President loses at Appeal Court

.As Court reinstates Adebutu, other Ogun PDP candidates

.Edo PDP raises over plot to upturn judgment

The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, has lost his bid for a re-election, as the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Monday, affirmed Bashir Machina as the authentic candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the 2023 Yobe North Senatorial District election.

The appellate court, in a judgement that was delivered by a three-man panel that was led by President of the Court, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensen, dismissed Lawan’s appeal as lacking in merit.

The embattled Senate President had gone before the appellate court to challenge the judgement of a Federal High Court in Damaturu, which had on September 28, declared Machina as the bonafide flag-bearer of the APC for the impending senatorial election.It will be recalled that while Lawan, picked the presidential form of the APC and participated in the primary election that was won by Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Machina contested and won his bid to takeover as candidate of the party for the senatorial contest.

Following his defeat at the presidential primary, Lawan urged Machina to relinquish the senatorial ticket to him, a request the later blatantly refused.

However, in the face of the controversy, the APC submitted Lawan’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.

He specifically asked the court to declare him as the validly elected senatorial candidate of the APC for the senatorial election, a prayer that was accordingly granted.

Dissatisfied with the judgement, Lawan, who had publicly declared that he had accepted his situation in good faith, still proceeded to the appellate court, where he also lost on Monday.

Meanwhile, The Court of Appeal in Ibadan has reinstated Ladi Adebutu as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State.

The court also reinstated all other candidates of the PDP in Ogun by setting aside the judgment of an Abeokuta Federal High Court, which nullified all the primary elections conducted by the PDP.

It was gathered that Justice O. Oguntoyinbo had nullified the candidacy of Adebutu and others, following a suit filed by Segun Seriki and others.

Ruling on Monday, Justice Folasade Ojo said it is only the National Working Committee of the party that has the power to nominate and conduct a primary election.

The appellate court maintained that any primary conducted without the approval of the party’s NWC is null and void.

The lower court’s judgment was set aside for lack of jurisdiction.

Ojo directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to reinstate all PDP candidates.

Also, The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has raised an alarm over efforts by those it described as “certain elements and enemies of democracy” of putting pressure on the Benin city High court and the court of appeal to circumvent the already given judgement and twist it to favor Obaseki’s group.

In a press statement released on Monday, signed by the state deputy chairman of the party Hon Harrison Omagbon and made available to Truth Live News, the party is calling on the general public and the good people of Edo state to be aware of the pressure being mounted on the judiciary to subvert and circumvent the victory already achieved by the Chief Dan Orbih led faction of the party, whose candidate was last week, by the decision of the appeal court confirmed as the authentic candidates of the party for the 2023 general elections.

The statement reads in parts;

“It is pertinent to note that all parties in the case have been given certified true copies of the judgement, which cannot be altered”.

While calling on those who are involved in the “clandestine” moves to desist from it, the deputy chairman, Omagbon advised all those involved in the case who are not satisfied with the court’s ruling to approach the necessary courts for redress and avoid further attempts to bring the judiciary and democracy into disrepute and ridicule.

Read the full statement below

PRESS STATEMENT!!!

This statement is for Edo State indigenes and the general public to take note. Information reaching us from reliable sources clearly indicates that:

Certain elements and enemies of democracy have been putting pressure on the Federal Court of Appeal officials sitting in Benin City, to change its already delivered judgment of 22nd of November 2022, in favour of the ‘Gov. Obaseki candidates’.
Several comments and messages on social media have also exposed the boasts and threats of many of their supporters, that certain sums of money have been set aside and will be deployed this week to reverse the legal position.
It is pertinent to note that all parties to the suit have been given certified true copies of the judgment, which cannot be altered.
We call on all who are involved in this clandestine act, to desist forthwith, as such despicable act is capable of bringing down the Judiciary. We must remember that the Judiciary is the last hope of the common man in Nigeria.
We advise all affected by the judgment to take necessary legal steps to seek redress in areas of their disagreement. Asking same court to reverse itself on a judgment given, will amount to the court sitting as an appellate court over its own judgment.

We therefore call on all lovers of democracy as well as party faithful, to take note of this ugly development.

Yobe North: Senate President loses at Appeal Court