The camp of Bashir Machina who won the Yobe North senatorial ticket has kicked against the Supreme Court judgement giving the ticket to Senate Presiden Ahmed Lawan.
Nura Audu, a Deputy Campaign Coordinator and Yobe North Zonal Social Media for Bashir Machina campaign team, in an exclusive interview with The Punch described the Supreme Court judgement recognising Lawan as the authentic senatorial candidate for the zone as devastating to anyone committed to justice and fairness.
Audu called the judgment unprecedented and unfortunate in the political history of Nigeria.
“The Supreme Court judgement was a daylight robbery, and very unfortunate in the political history of Nigeria.”
“Tension is high now. Ahmed Lawan neither obtained and filled the Senatorial aspiration form nor contested in the primaries.”
Asked about what the next line of action will be, he stated, “As Muslims, we believe in destiny; we will wait for what our leader would say before knowing what to do.”
Audu, who said he was in the court when the judgment was delivered, said in spite the court judgment, Machina’s supporters will not forsake him.
The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan hailed the judgment of the apex court, and described the verdict as a victory for democracy ahead of the February 25 polls.
Lawan, while speaking to journalists at the Senate Guest House in Maitama, praised the APC leadership for taking it upon itself to approach the Supreme Court following the Court of Appeal’s decision, recognising Bashir Machina, as the party’s senatorial candidate.
He partly said, “Let me begin by thanking God for his blessing and, of course, for what happened today at the Supreme Court on the judgment on Yobe North. This is a significant victory for the APC in Yobe and the APC in general across the country.”
Three of the five justices ruled in favour of Lawan. They queried the procedure adopted in the lower court, stressing that since it was an allegation of fraud, the case should not have been initiated by way of originating summons.
Two justices gave a dissenting decision. Justices Emmanuel Agim and Adamu Jauro, the apex court noted that Lawan never participated in the APC primary, as he withdrew voluntarily to participate in the presidential primary held on June 8, 2022.
