Yobe North Senatorial Candidacy: Supreme Court fixes February 6 for Judgement 

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has fixed February 6, 2023 for judgement on the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) against the decisions of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division and the Federal High Court, Damaturu in favour of Bashir Sheriff, the APC senatorial candidate for Yobe North.

Justice Cletus Nwaeze on Wednesday fixed the date after counsels from parties adopted their arguments.

Both courts have upheld the candidacy of Bashir Sheriff as the rightful candidate of the APC for Yobe North senatorial district in the general elections.

Dissatisfied with the lower courts’ decision, the APC had challenged the judgements as being in error.

Counsel to the APC, Sekeribo Peter, while adopting the APC’s brief of argument on Wednesday, urged the apex court to overturn the decision of the two lower courts and declare the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, as the senatorial candidate.

He asked the apex court to hold that the primary election that produced Bashir Sherriff was fraudulently conducted.

Counsel to the respondent, Sarafa Yussuf, could not offer a satisfactory explanation on why the name Bashir Sherriff appeared in the list of committee that conducted the primary election held on May 28, 2022.

He, however, explained that the person whose name is in the committee was not the same person as Bashir Sherriff, the candidate and the respondent to the appeal.

Yussuf prayed the apex court to dismiss the appeal.

He said that the APC did not contradict the affidavit deposed to by the chairman of the Yobe North senatorial district primary election, Danjuma Manga, who conducted the May 28, 2022 primary election.

After the parties adopted their briefs Justice Cletus Nwaeze adjourned for judgement to February 6.

It would be recalled that a three-man panel led by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dagban-Mesah, while delivering judgement, upheld the judgement of the Damaturu Federal High Court which sacked the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan.

The appellate court ordered the APC to forward the name of Bashiru Sheriff Machina to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the authentic winner of the primary, which was held on May 28, 2022.

The court held that the primary election that was conducted by the APC on June 9 was invalid, as it was not monitored by the INEC, which is a gross violation of the Electoral Act.