A Federal High Court in Damaturu has affirmed the election of Bashir Sheriff Machina as the senatorial candidate for the Yobe North district under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Machina Wins Lawan For Yobe North Senatorial Seat
KanyiDaiy recalls that in May, Machina won the APC Yobe North senatorial primary unopposed, but he has been locked in a long-drawn battle with the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, who currently represents the district.
Amid the controversy, Machina instituted a suit asking the court to declare him as the authentic senatorial candidate of the APC for the 2023 election.
In his judgment on Wednesday, September 28, Justice Fadimatu Aminu described the primary election where Lawan emerged as the candidate as “phantom”
The Judge ordered the APC to forward the name of Machina to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the authentic winner of the primary, which was held on 28/05/2022.
Lawan has been representing Yobe North senatorial district since 2007, until he opted to contest for the APC presidential ticket which he lost to the party’s national leader, Bola Tinubu.
Following his loss at the APC presidential primary election, Lawan has been trying to reclaim the Yobe North senatorial ticket from Machina.
Machina confirmed that he has been approached by some people to relinquish the ticket, but insisted that he would not withdraw for Lawan.
Amid the controversy, the APC submitted Lawan’s name to INEC as its senatorial candidate for Yobe north and warned Machina over his comments on the party’s choice of candidate.
But the INEC rejected Ahmad Lawan and confirmed Bashr Machina as the candidate, having won the APC senatorial primary for Yobe north after he polled 289 votes unopposed.
