Judge to PDP: You’ve lost opportunity to field governorship candidate in Zamfara

By Ishaq Zaki

A Federal High Court sitting presided over by Justice Bappa-Aliyu on Tuesday declared that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has lost the opportunity to field a governorship election in Zamfara in the 2023 polls for failing to conduct its primaries in line with the guidelines of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended.

Justice Bappa-Aliyu spoke after nullifying the Governorship PDP that produced Dr Dauda Lawal-Dare as the Zamfara PDP governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections.

Delivering judgment, Bappa-Aliyu held that the PDP lost the opportunity to field a candidate in the 2023 polls for failing to conduct Primaries inline with the guidelines of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended.

The same court had earlier on Sept 16, nullified the first exercise, following alleged irregularities in the Governorship primaries conducted on May 25.

Two governorship aspirants, Dr Ibrahim Shehu-Bakauye and Hafiz Muhammad had after the second exercise approached the court seeking nullification of the second primaries conducted on Sept. 23.

The aspirants had prayed the court declare the exercise as null and void and to no effect for failing to meet the conditions as stipulated in Section 82 (1 and 5) of the electoral act 2022 as amended.

The plaintiffs in their suit included the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Chairman of the governorship primary election committee, Mr Felix Hyat, State PDP Chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Sani (Now Late), State PDP Governorship candidates, Dr Dauda Lawal and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.

However, Bappa-Aliyu in a judgment held that the primaries conducted by the PDP was unlawful as the primaries did not follow guidelines of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended.

Bappa-Aliyu said the PDP and other defendants having failed to comply with Section 82 Sub section 1 and 5 of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended, the PDP was no longer qualified to field a governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections in the state.

Counsel to the plantiffs, Malam Ibrahim Aliyu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau after the judgment that the Electoral Act 2022, for a political party to conduct a congress, executives conference or a convention shall give 21 days notice before conducting such exercise. (NAN)