The Supreme Court’s decision recognizing Ahmed Lawan, the president of the Senate, as the legitimate senatorial candidate for the region has been characterized by Nura Audu, a deputy campaign coordinator and Yobe North Zonal Social Media for Bashir Machina campaign team, as devastating to anyone committed to justice and fairness.
The judgment was described as unfortunate and unprecedented in Nigerian political history by Audu, a fervent Machina supporter.
He described the Supreme Court’s ruling as “a daylight robbery” and “very unfortunate in the political history of Nigeria” while speaking exclusively on the phone with the Punch.
“Tension is high now,” he said, explaining further, he continued, “Ahmed Lawan neither obtained and filled the Senatorial aspiration form nor contested in the primaries.”
Asked about what the next line of action will be, he stated, “As Muslims, we believe in destiny; we will wait for what our leader would say before knowing what to do.”
Audu, who said he was in the court when the judgment was delivered, said in spite the court judgment, Machina’s supporters will not forsake him.
Meanwhile, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan hailed the judgment of the apex court, and described the verdict as a victory for democracy ahead of the February 25 polls.
Lawan, while speaking to journalists at the Senate Guest House in Maitama, praised the APC leadership for taking it upon itself to approach the Supreme Court following the Court of Appeal’s decision, recognising Bashir Machina, as the party’s senatorial candidate.
He partly said, “Let me begin by thanking God for his blessing and, of course, for what happened today at the Supreme Court on the judgment on Yobe North. This is a significant victory for the APC in Yobe and the APC in general across the country.”
Lawan, in his appreciation post, also thanked his political party for fighting tooth and nail for his victory.
Delivering the judgment, three out of a five-member panel agreed with the APC that the suit at the trial court ought not to have commenced via an originating summons since it contained allegations of fraud.
In the lead judgment, Justice Centus Nweze criticized Machina’s strategy of initiating the suit through summons without presenting any oral evidence to prove the allegations of fraud raised.
Nweze noted, “That the first respondent accused the APC of fraudulently substituting his name with that of Lawan. Where there is an allegation of fraud it should not be commenced by an originating summons. There was a need to call witnesses to prove allegations of fraud.”
In its majority decision, the apex court also set aside the decision of the Appeal Court, Gombe Division, which affirmed the decision of the trial court that declared Machina the senatorial candidate for Yobe North.
But in a dissenting decision by Justices Emmanuel Agim and Adamu Jauro, the apex court said Lawan never participated in the APC primary, as he withdrew voluntarily to participate in the presidential primary held on June 8, 2022.
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