A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has put an end to the leadership tussle rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
The court declared Mohammed Abacha, a son of the country’s late military head of state, as the party’s governorship flag-bearer ahead of the 2023 election.
In a ruling delivered via zoom, Justice AM Liman also sacked Sadiq Aminu Wali as the party’s candidate.
Justice Liman ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to “expunge” Mr Wali’s name and substitute it with Mr Abacha’s.
The court further ordered that Mr Wali “desist from parading himself as the party’s gubernatorial candidate”.
The duo of Abacha and Wali have been embroiled in a bitter struggle for the governorship ticket of the party in the state.
Mr Abacha had, via originating summonse, approached the court praying it to declare him winner of the Party Primary Election conducted on May 25, 2022.
He also prayed the court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission, its officers, agents and privies from further recognising Mr Wali or any other person apart from himself as gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in Kano State for the 2023 Governorship Elections.
Justice Liman granted all the reliefs sought by Mr Abacha on the ground that he was validly nominated during the primary election conducted by the Wada Sagagi-led faction of the party, adding that votes cast for him remained lawful.
The Judge also faulted INEC for removing Mr Abacha’s name from the gubernatorial candidates’ list in the first place, declaring that by the provisions of section 84 (1)(5)b of the electoral Act, 2022, it is illegal, null and void for the electoral umpire to have withheld the name of Mr Abacha who won the primary election and substitute him with Mr Wali.
Reacting to the judgement, a chieftain of the PDP, Zakari Wali, expressed dissatisfaction with the judgment, vowing that the verdict would be challenged at the upper court.