By Ebere Agozie

Senate President Ahmad Lawan will be on the ballot as the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) for Yobe north in the February 25 National Assembly election, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

Machina had won the primary election organised for Yobe North by APC on May 28, 2022.

But having lost the APC presidential primary to Bola Tinubu, the party opted for Senate President Ahmed Lawan to replace Machina.
However, Machina insisted that he would not withdraw for the Senate President.

But the APC submitted the Senate President’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as its senatorial candidate for Yobe North.

Not satisfied with the decision of his party, Machina headed to court to seek redress.

Specifically, Machina in his suit, asked the court to declare him as the validly elected senatorial candidate of the APC for Yobe North Senatorial District.

Justice Aminu had nullified the parallel primary election that produced Lawan on June 9, 2022, insisting that the National Working Committee of the APC conducted a valid primary election on May 28, which was won by Bashir Sheriff Machina.

Consequently, the trial judge ordered the APC to forward the name of Machina to INEC as the authentic winner of the primary election for Yobe North.

But APC heads to Appeal Court.

Justice Monica Dongban-Mensen, who presided over a 3-man panel of the appellate court on November 28, 2022, affirmed Bashir Sherrif Machina as the APC candidate for Yobe North senatorial.

The APC then filed as appeal at Supreme court.

Delivering judgment in the appeal on Monday, the apex court, in a split decision of three to two on Monday, dismissed the judgement of the Court of Appeal Abuja.

The majority judgment was delivered by Justice Centus Nweze.

In the majority judgment, the apex court allowed the appeal filed by the APC against Bashir Machina’s candidature and affirmed Lawan as the senatorial candidate of the party.

But in their minority judgment, Justices Adamu Jauro and Emma Agim dismissed the appeal of APC and affirming the concurrent findings of fact of the trial and appellate courts.