The Federal High Court declared that Bashir Sheriff Machina remained the APC’s authentic senatorial candidate for Yobe North in the forthcoming 2023 National Assembly elections.
The Judge then directed INEC to accept and publish his name accordingly.
In her verdict today, the Judge affirmed Machina as the duly and validly elected Yobe North senatorial candidate for APC thereby upholding the May 28 primary election of the Party that produced him.
She had earlier reserved judgement on the tussle regarding the senatorial ticket after a heated argument between counsels to the plaintiff and the defendants on September 25.
Machina emerged the winner of the primary election supervised by INEC officials. The senate president did not participate in the primary election.
The suit was filed by the winner of the All Progressives Congress’ senatorial primary election for Yobe North, Bashir Machina.
He filed the suit against the APC, Independent National Electoral Commission and the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan regards the primary election held on May 28, 2022.
Machina is asking the court to declare him as the authentic senatorial candidate of the APC for the 2023 election.
With the new development, his fate will be determined on Wednesday by the court.
Lawan is currently locked in battle with Machina for the ticket.
Machina emerged the winner of the primary election supervised by INEC officials. The senate president did not participate in the primary election.
At the time the exercise was held, Lawan was pursuing his presidential ambition but lost to former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu.
Rather than submit the name of the elected candidate, the name of the senate president was submitted to the commission by the ruling APC, a move that led to the deliberate omission of their names from the published particulars of candidates in late June.
To clarify the brewing controversy around the seat, INEC, on at least two occasions, said it rejected the senate president’s name because he had not been validly nominated for the senatorial seat.