Gusau, Jan. 6, 2023 – A Court of Appeal sitting in Sokoto State on Friday ruled that Dauda Lawal Dare, a PDP Governorship Candidate in Zamfara State, be allowed to represent his party in the 2023 general elections.
The court set aside the judgment of the Zamfara Federal High Court barring PDP from participating in the 2023 governorship election in the state.
The Federal High Court in Gusau, Zamfara, had nullified the primary election that produced Dauda Lawal Dare as the PDP governorship candidate.
Dare had polled 431 votes to win the governorship ticket in the party’s primary held on May 25, 2022, but three other aspirants, Abubakar Nakwada, Wadatau Madawaki, and Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau withdrew from the race.
They alleged that the primary election was fraught with irregularities and should not stand.
Adamu Maina, the INEC returning officer for the primary, declined their withdrawal since it was without formal notice.
Two of the aspirants, Shehu-Gusau and Madawaki, were joined by Aliyu Hafiz Muhammad, another aspirant, to file a suit challenging the legality of the primary.
Justice Aminu Bappa granted all the prayers of the plaintiffs and nullified the primary in September.
The judge ordered that a fresh primary should be conducted to produce a flag bearer, but Dare emerged winner of the fresh primary.
The matter took a twist when the same judge via another ruling, nullified the second primary and held that PDP should not field any candidate for the 2023 governorship election in the state.
He ordered that INEC should take note and disregard any filing.
The PDP challenged the decision at the Court of Appeal in Sokoto which on Friday ruled that the second primary, as ordered by a court was valid, legal and ordered that the winner, Dare, be put on the ballot for the 2023 governorship election in the state. (GBN)
