Court To Decide Fate Of Binani As Adamawa APC Gubernatorial Candidate

The Court of Appeal in Yola, Adamawa State is to decide whether Sen. Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed Binani will be the 2023 gubernatorial flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state during its next sitting.

Binani had filed an appeal asking the court to restore her mandate as the gubernatorial candidate of the APC in Adamawa State.

The pre-election panel on Monday was presided by Justices Teni Yusuf Hassan, M.O Bolaji and James Abundaga in the Appeal Court sitting in Yola.

After the adoption of the brief by the counsels of Binani, Nuhu Ribadu, the APC and INEC, the judges reserved a date for judgement to be communicated at a later date.

Last week Binani had, in an appeal, joined Ribadu, APC and INEC as 1st to 3rd respondents, seeking 6 reliefs.

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 asked the court to uphold her declaration as the winner of the primary election conducted on the 26th May, 2022.

She also prayed 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.

The development is coming as a result of a judgement earlier passed in October, by a Federal High Court in the state declaring the APC Gubernatorial primaries null and void.

During the judgement, Justice Abdulaziz Anka who presided over the case voided the primaries over substantial non compliance with electoral ruls by both candidates. 

He also urged Binani to stop parading herself as the gubernatorial candidate of the APC.

However, in the sitting today, Binani’s counsel, Chief Akin Olujimi SAN, led six other SANs and 12 lawyers in a triple appeal, urged the apellate court to overturn the judgment of the federal high court Yola while urging the court to declare Binani as the flag bearer of APC.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, counsel to Ribadu, Bawa SAN, alongside S.T Olugunorisa SAN, also prayed the appellate court to declare Nuhu Ribadu as the winner of the APC primaries or order fresh gubernatorial primaries.

Still in the same case, counsel to Independent Electoral Commission, (INEC) Rotimi Ogunreso SAN and Sule J Abu prayed the appellate court to set aside the judgment of the federal high court stopping the party from fielding candidate for the gubernatorial election in  Adamawa State.