The Court of Appeal sitting in Kano State, on Friday, voided the May 18 judgment of the Kano State Federal High Court, which purportedly sacked Alex Otti as Abia State governor.
The Presiding judge of the Kano State Federal High Court, Justice M. N. Yunusa, while ruling on a Suit (FHC/KN/CS/107/2023) filed by one Ibrahim Haruna Ibrahim, on May 18, sacked all elected candidates of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections in Kano and Abia states.
Justice Yunusa had cited the failure of the Labour Party to submit its membership registers of Kano and Abia to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) preparatory to the party’s primary election as the basis for his verdict.
The court had ruled that under Section 77(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the Labour Party ought to submit its membership registers to INEC 30 days before its primary elections in Kano and Abia States.
The judge held that the void primary elections of the Labour Party cannot produce eligible candidates to be sponsored by the party in the general election, and the participation of the candidates of the party in the election in Kano State and Abia State is wasted.
Ruling on an appeal filed by the Labour Party against the judgment, the appellate Court, on Friday, faulted the trial court’s hasty determination of the suit even without joining the necessary parties to the suit.
The appellate court also awarded one million naira (N1,000,000) cost against the plaintiff