Appeal Court affirms Bashir Machina as APC candidate for Yobe North

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday, November 28, 2022, affirmed Bashir Sheriff Machina as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Yobe North Senatorial District.

The court upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Damaturu, Yobe State which held that the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, is not the authentic candidate of the APC for Yobe North Senatorial District in next year’s election.

In September, the High Court nullified Lawan’s candidacy, stating that the Senate President did not participate in the legally recognised primary election of the APC to select its candidate for the 2023 elections.

Delivering judgment on the appeal filed by the President of the Senate on Monday, a three-man panel led by President of the Court, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensen dismissed Lawan’s appeal as lacking in merit.

It would be recalled that Lawan did not participate in the APC senatorial primary in Yobe because he participated in the presidential primary of the ruling party as a presidential aspirant.

While he lost the primary to Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Machina won the Yobe North senatorial ticket.

Following his defeat at the presidential primary, the Senate President asked Machina to relinquish the senatorial ticket to him but the latter refused.

Thereafter, the APC submitted Lawan’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission as its senatorial candidate for Yobe North.

The development prompted Machina to head to court to seek redress.

He asked the court to declare him as the authentic candidate of the party and his prayer was granted.