Court adjourns hearing in suit challenging PDP governorship primary in Zamfara till July 26
by Ebor Cletus Ralph Jr
The Federal High Court in Gusau’s Justice Aminu Bappa-Aliyu on Tuesday postponed the hearing in the lawsuit contesting the legitimacy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary in Zamfara State until July 26.
In the primary election held on May 25, Dr. Dauda Lawal-Dare won the PDP nomination for governor.
Dr. Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau, the party’s candidate for governor, had requested in the lawsuit that the election be declared invalid due to purported irregularities.
The PDP, Maina-Waziri, the party’s governorship election committee chairman in Zamfara, and Col. Bala Mande (retd), the state party chairman, were named as respondents in the lawsuit.
Lawal-Dare and the Independent National Electoral Commission were the others (INEC).
Justice Bappa-Aliyu adjourned the matter to hear arguments in the preliminary objection.
In a chat with journalists after the court’s sitting on Tuesday, the counsel to the plaintiff, Lamidi Obaro, said his client was challenging the credibility of the primary election in Zamfara.
He said the exercise was a breach of the 1999 constitution and Electoral Act 2022.
The counsel said: “We are praying for the nullification of the process that produced Lawal-Dare as PDP governorship candidate in Zamfara.
“You know, the matter had earlier adjourned until today, for further mention but the defendants filed a preliminary objection.
“Therefore the court has adjourned for us to file our response within five days.”
