February 01, (THEWILL) – The Supreme Court on Wednesday, fixed February 6 for judgement in the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC), against Bashir Sheriff Machina, as its Senatorial candidate for Yobe North Senatorial District.
Justice Centus Chima Nweze, who presided over a 5-man panel of Justices of the Court, fixed the date, after taking arguments from counsel for the APC and Bashir Sheriff Machina.
Entangled in the legal battle for the Senatorial ticket are the incumbent Senate President, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan and Machina.
APC, which is rooting for Senate President Lawan as its Senatorial candidate filed the appeal against the judgements of the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal, which held Bashir Sheriff Machina, as the party’s candidate.
In its arguments presented by Sepiribo Cromwell Peters, the APC claimed that the primary election conducted on May 27, 2022, which produced Bashir Sheriff Machina is unknown to law, and distanced the party from the primary election.
The party claimed that another primary election conducted on June 6, which produced Lawan, was the only authentic and valid primary election of the party.
However, Sarafa Yusuff, counsel to Machina asked the Apex Court to dismiss the APC’S appeal for being frivolous and baseless.
He said the Danjuma Manga Committee set up by the APC conducted the primary election on behalf of the National Working Committee of the APC.
Yusuff drew the attention of the Court to an affidavit deposed by Danjuma Manga to the effect that he was mandated along with five others by the APC National Secretariat to conduct the Senatorial primary elections in Yobe State.
The counsel argued that up till now, the affidavit of the said Danjuma Manga had not been disputed or denied by the APC and subsequently urged the Court to affirm Bashir Sheriff Machina, as the authentic Senatorial candidate of APC for Yobe North Senatorial District.
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