The Federal High Court Abuja has fixed November 15 for judgment in a suit filed by Senator Yusuf Yusuf seeking the nullification of the Taraba All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary held on May 26.
Yusuf, a Senator representing Taraba Central, who was also a governorship aspirant in the contested exercise dragged the purported winner, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court challenging the declaration of Bwacha as the winner.
When the matter was called for hearing yesterday, the counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Ibrahim Bawa (SAN), told the court that his client maintains that the APC did not hold any primary election in Taraba State.
According to him, the APC announced that it will conduct direct primaries in only three states and Taraba was not part of the three.
He added that even though the appeal panel set up to hear complaints said there were no primaries held, the defendants insisted that the report was reviewed.
Bawa also submitted that the Federal High Court in Taraba State had, in a recent ruling on a similar matter, nullified the election and ordered a fresh election.
Counsel to the APC, Mr Festus Idepefo, SAN, told the court that he had provided evidence to counter the submission of the plaintiff that no primary election was held.
“In response to this allegation, we have exhibited the results of the elections in all the 168 wards in Taraba showing the number of registered voters.
“In a situation like this, we will expect the plaintiff to exhibit voters who were disenfranchised but no such exhibit is before the court.”
Responding to the issue of a similar judgment by the court in Taraba, Idebefo said that the case in Taraba was different from the current case.
He also argued that the allegation of no signature on the committee’s report amounted to forgery and falsification which was a serious allegation to which the plaintiff must provide proof.
Counsel to Bwacha, Mr E. A. Ibrahim in his submission, told the court that he filed 459 exhibits on behalf of his client.
“The exhibits comprise result sheets for the various wards and local government areas,” he said.
He prayed the court to dismiss the suit.
Mr N.T Abubakar, counsel to INEC told the court that his client would abide by the decision taken by the court.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu, after hearing all the arguments, fixed November 15 for judgment.
