The long-drawn legal battle on the authenticity of the candidate for Jega-Aliero-Gwandu Federal Constituency of Kebbi State under the All Progressives Congress, APC, was on Friday laid to rest by the Supreme Court.
The apex court voided and dismissed the nomination of Kabir Labbo Jega, whose name was fraudulently submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, by the APC as its candidate.
In a judgment prepared by Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji, the Supreme Court dismissed the suit of the APC instituted to support the nomination of the unlawful candidate.
The court, while dismissing the APC’s appeal, restored Mohammed Umar Jega as the lawful and authentic candidate that should be recognized by the APC and INEC.
The upholding of Umar Jega by the apex court was predicated on the ground that he emerged winner of the May 27, 2022, primary election of the party conducted in accordance with the provisions of the law by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC.
In the same vein, the purported nomination and submission of the name of Labbo Jega was thrown out by the court on the ground that he emerged the winner from the unlawful primary election conducted by the State Working Committee, SWC, of the party.
The court maintained that by the provisions of the law, only the National Working Committee, NWC, of political parties are empowered to conduct primary elections to nominate candidates for elections.
The judgment of the Court of Appeal, which had earlier been delivered against the APC and in favour of Mohammed Umar Jega, was affirmed.
The apex court, however, did not award any cost against the APC.
