Earlier, a high court sitting in Gusau, Zamfara State, presided over by Justice Aminu Bappa-Aliyu nullified the primaries that produced Dauda Lawal as the PDP governorship candidate and instead ruled that the PDP had no governorship candidate in the state.
The Sokoto Division of the Court of Appeal has reinstated Dauda Lawal as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Zamfara State.
Earlier, a high court sitting in Gusau, Zamfara State, presided over by Justice Aminu Bappa-Aliyu nullified the primaries that produced Dauda Lawal as the PDP governorship candidate and instead ruled that the PDP had no governorship candidate in the state.
In its ruling, the appellate court on Friday set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court.
All the members of the three-man panel of the Appeal Court in the Friday sitting concurred with the lead judgement of Justice Muhammad Shu’aibu, who ordered the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) to accept Lawal as the elected governorship candidate of the PDP in Zamfara State for the 2023 general elections.
The panel said it was inconceivable for the judge of the Federal High Court to refuse to accept the INEC report of the primaries, claiming that it was not certified despite being a public document and published on the INEC website.
The panel added that the appellant was not properly joined by the plaintiffs. Also, a court cannot grant a relief not sought by the plaintiff. “The court is not Father Christmas,” said the panel.
Reacting to the judgement, Dauda Lawal described the Appeal Court’s ruling in Sokoto as a victory for democracy, and the good people of Zamfara State.
The PDP governorship candidate, who spoke through Dauda Lawal Media Office, said, “The people are celebrating my appeal court judgement because of their conviction that under my leadership, Zamfara State will be a reference point for new ideas, determination, dynamism, and endless possibilities.”