20th April, 2011
Ahead of the 26 April governorship election, a Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja this morning upturned the victory of Alhaji Ibrahim Abacha, the son of the late former Head of State, General Sani Abacha and Senator Lato for the governorship tickets of Congress for Progressive Change, CPC in Kano and Katsina States respectively.
Last February, a Federal High Court in Abuja division presided over by Justice Adamu Bello and another one presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole declared Senator Lato and Ibrahim Abacha as the validly nominated candidates of the party for Katsina and Kano States respectively.
Major contestants against Ibrahim Abacha for the CPC governorship ticket in Kano included Col. Jaffar Isah (retd) and in Katsina State, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari is being challenged by Senator Lato. They appealed the judgements of the Federal High Court at the appellate court.
Delivering the judgement this morning, Justice Jimmy Bada held that the partyâ€
But he questioned the rationale behind the adoption of Jaffar Isah as the partyâ€
The court however held that the trial judge at the Federal High Court erred in holding that Ibrahim Abacha won the inconclusive primary in the state and consequently set aside the judgement of the Federal High Court delivered on 14 March, 2011 which cleared Abacha as the validly nominated candidate of the CPC in Kano.
The court however did not order for a fresh primary election thereby creating confusion as to who will fly the partyâ€
On that of Katsina, the Court of Appeal held that the 15 January, 2011 primary election conducted by the party in Katsina State through which Senator Lato emerged as the partyâ€
The court went ahead to uphold the result of the partyâ€
Consequently, the court set aside the decision of the Federal High Court delivered by Justice Adamu Bello which recognised the candidacy of Senator Lato.
—Felix Nnamdi, Abuja