PDP primaries: Abuja court dismisses Yobe lawmakers’ case

An Abuja High Court has dismissed the suit by aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirants challenging the primaries that produced legislative candidates for the federal and state assemblies of Yobe state.The court presided by Justice M.M. Kolo has struck out the case instituted by nine aggrieved aspirants against the PDP and Independent National Electoral Commission […]

An Abuja High Court has dismissed the suit by aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirants challenging the primaries that produced legislative candidates for the federal and state assemblies of Yobe state.
The court presided by Justice M.M. Kolo has struck out the case instituted by nine aggrieved aspirants against the PDP and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for want of jurisdiction.
The suit was filed by Haruna Bawa Waziri, Suleiman A. Yusuf, Samaila Musa, Abdul Bukar, Mohammed Alkali Achama, Alhaji Yakubu Idris, Audu Isa Idris, Audu Isa Gwagwai, Hashimu Kakeri Dahiru and Alhaji Adamu Dudaye.
The applicants had asked the court to disregard list of candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly submitted to INEC by the PDP, arguing that they were not properly elected through primaries’ as provided for in the Electoral Act and PDP constitution.
The applicants asked the court to stop INEC from accepting names other those produced through primaries as candidates for the March 28 and April 11 polls.
But the judge in the March 16 judgement held that the applicants “have failed woefully to proof that the senatorial district and constituencies’ primaries of Yobe State, predicated on the forthcoming general election took place or were held in Abuja, FCT to enable this court entertain and assume jurisdiction in this case.”