BREAKING: Appeal Court Delivers Judgement On Bwacha, Binani’s Primary Election Nullification
The Court of Appeal in Yola has overturned High Court rulings that declared the primaries that produced Emmanuel Bwacha and Aishatu Binani as All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidates for Taraba and Adamawa states, respectively, null and void.
On Thursday, the court ordered that their names be forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as APC governorship candidates in both states.
Bwacha was fired in September by Justice Simon Amobeda of the Federal High Court in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, following a petition by an ex-aspirant, David Kente.
The judge argued that all of the primary results could not have the same handwriting, while the returning officer stated that no primary was held in the state at the police headquarters due to security concerns.
The former Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate later appealed the decision, claiming that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State is the root of the APC’s problems in the state.
Similarly, a Federal High Court sitting in Yola last month declared the APC primary that produced Binani as the party’s governorship candidate for Adamawa null and void.
According to Justice Abdulaziz Anka, the decision was based on substantial evidence of non-compliance with the party guidelines and the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s constitution.
Nuhu Ribadu, a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), who finished second in the election, had taken Binani and INEC to court, alleging vote buying and an illegal delegates list at the May 27, 2022 primary.
However, on Thursday, the appellate court overturned both judgments.
