The Court of Appeal sitting in Kano State on Friday set aside the judgment of a High Court that recognised Muhammad Abacha as the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano State.
The Appeal Court, however, ordered that Sadiq Wali, who was initially recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), remain the lawful gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in the state.
In a consensus judgment of the three-man panel read by Justice Usman Musale, the appellate court held that the law is clear, adding that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP can conduct the gubernatorial primary elections of a party.
The panel added that Abacha didn’t participate in the primary election conducted by NEC that produced Wali and therefore had no locus standi to challenge the said primary.
Recall that the PDP in Kano State had been engulfed in a leadership crisis which culminated in the emergence of two parallel gubernatorial candidates, Abacha and Wali.
