Appeal Court upholds Bwacha, Binani’s gov candidacy

 

By Editor

The Court of Appeal in Yola on Thursday upheld the governorship candidacy of All Progressives Congress candidates, Emmanuel Bwacha and Aishatu Ahmed also known as Aisha Binani for Taraba and Adamawa states respectively.

The Appeal Court set aside a ruling by the High Court nullifying their candidacy and ordered that their names be forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission as the APC governorship candidates for both states.

In the court presided over by a panel of three justices of the Court of Appeal, which had justice T. Y Hassan as the presiding judge and two others, Judge M. O. Bolaji and J. G. Abundaga, as JCA 1 and JCA 2.

The Federal High Court in Yola, Adamawa State, had on October 13, nullified the candidature of Binani as the governorship candidate of the APC in the state.

Based on suit FHC/YL/CS/12/2022 filed by another APC governorship aspirant in Adamawa, Nuhu Ribadu, the court declared Binani’s candidature invalid and unlawful.

The court also refused to order a fresh APC governorship primary in Adamawa State.

Dissatisfied by the court ruling, which refused to order a fresh primary that would have enabled him, contest the governorship,  Ribadu filed an appeal in suit NO.CA/YL/203/2022 between him and All Progressive Congress and two others.

However, the court in it’s ruling on Thursday dismissed the appeal filed by Ribadu but allowed Binani’s appeal seeking to overturn the judgement given by the Federal High Court presided over by Justice Abdulaaziz Anka.

It would be recalled that the Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo, and presided over by Justice Simon Amobeda, nullified the governorship primary election that produced Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 election.

In his ruling in the case filed by one of the governorship aspirants, David Kente, the judge directed INEC to conduct a fresh governorship primary in the state within 14 days.

The court also ordered Bwacha to stop parading himself as the governorship candidate of the APC, as well as INEC to stop recognising Bwacha as a candidate.

Bwacha had told his supporters to remain calm, adding that all would be sorted.