By Vivian Okejeme
Abuja
Justice Gabriel Kolawole of a Federal High Court, Abuja, will on June 23, deliver judgement on the crisis rocking the outcome of the Sokoto state governorship primary election held on December 4, 2014.
The legal tussle involved Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and another All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in the 2015 general election, Senator Umaru Dahiru.
Dahiru dragged the APC, Tambuwal and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the court seeking an order to nullify and set aside the Sokoto state APC primary election on the grounds that its conduct was not in compliance with the Electoral Act 2010, the APC guideline on the primary election and the party’s constitution.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Chief Roland Otaru, urged the court to void and set aside the primary election that produced Tambuwal for the 2015 governorship election.
The counsel based his argument on the ground that the constitution of the APC, the APC guideline on the primary election and the Electoral Act 2010 were violently violated in the conduct of the election.
Opposing the motion, counsel to the APC, Jubrin Okutepa, told Justice Kolawole to dismiss the case of the plaintiff on the grounds of inconsistency in his claims.
He submitted that a litigant must be consistent in his claim.
“The case of the plaintiff is bereft of any evidential support to warrant any declaration to be made in his favour.”
He, therefore, urged the court to dismiss the case of the plaintiff and uphold the nominee.
In his argument, the counsel to Tambuwal, Mr. Sunday Ibrahim Ameh, aligned himself with the submissions of the APC counsel, adding that it was too late in the day for the plaintiff who admitted in January 2015 that accreditation was done to make a U-turn in 2017 that no accreditation was done.
Counsel to INEC, Alhassan Umar, told the Court that INEC would be neutral and would abide the decision of the court.
Justice Kolawole, after listening to the parties’ arguments, fixed June 23, for judgement.
