An appeal court sitting in Yola has reserved judgement in an appeal filed by Sen. Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed Binani praying the court to restore her mandate as the gubernatorial candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State.
It would be recalled that the federal High sitting in Yola, has earlier nullified the party’s governorship primary that produced Bunanj as its guber candidate for the state.
The Trumpet gathered that since the governorship primary, the state chapter of the party has been embroiled in crises, as aggrieved aspirants have been working round the clock to have the primary nullified.
The pre-election panel presided over by Justices Teni Yusuf Hassan, M.O Bolaji and James Abundaga after the adoption of the brief by the counsels of Binani, Nuhu Ribadu, APC and INEC reserved a date for judgement to be communicated at a later date.
During the court session, leaders of Binani’s counsel, led by Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN), were observed to have urged the appellate court to overturn the judgment of the federal high court Yola.
Olujimi also prayed the court to determine all pre-election matters to declare Senator Aishatu Binani as the duly elected candidate of the APC.
Binani had in an appeal instituted last week, joined Ribadu, APC and INEC as 1st to 3rd respondents, sought six reliefs.
Read Also: Former Ebonyi Commissioner abducted, brutalized by “Ebubeagu” security outfit
Our correspondent noticed that among the reliefs sought by the embattled governorship candidate is an order allowing her appeal as well as setting aside the judgement of the trial court.
The appellant through her counsels is asking the appellate court to uphold the declaration of Binani, as the winner of the primary election conducted on the 26th of May, 2022.
She was also observed to have prayed the court for an order declaring that she (Binani) remains the lawful candidate of APC in the 2023 general election as well as such further orders as the court may deem fit.
On his part, Ribadu, through his counsel also prayed the appellate court to declare him as the winner of the APC primaries held on the 26th of May, 2022 or order for fresh Gubernatorial primaries.
The situation was however observed to be different as the counsel to the Independent Electoral Commission, (INEC) Rotimi Ogunreso (SAN), urged prayed the appellate court to set aside the judgment of the federal high court stopping the party from fielding a candidate for the gubernatorial election in the state for the forthcoming general elections slated for next year.
Click on The Trumpet and follow us on our Twitter page for more:
