The Kaduna Division of the Federal High Court, on Wednesday, nullified the primary election conducted by the PDP for Kaduna Central Senatorial District due to irregularities.

Delivering the judgement, Justice Muhammed Umar ordered the PDP to conduct fresh primary within 14 days.

One of the aspirants for the senatorial position, Usman Ibrahim, approached the court through his counsel, Samuel Atung, challenging the emergence of Lawal Adamu.

The plaintiff, Mr Ibrahim, challenged the defendant’s election on the ground of over voting and prayed the court to nullify the exercise and give every aspirant equal opportunity to test their popularity.

Mr Umar in his judgement, said all the complaints made by the plaintiff (Usman Ibrahim) were substantial, likewise the decision made by INEC to conduct fresh primary that did not later hold as a result of claims by the defendant was overruled. 

Atung, counsel to the complainant (lbrahim), during an interaction with reporters shortly after the judgement, said the court remained the last hope of the common man.

He said: “After the Kaduna Central PDP

primary to select its candidate for the 2023 general elections, our client wrote a petition to the party’s Appeal Panel challenging the outcome of the exercise due to over voting.

“We have video evidence to that effect and the committee considered our appeal and forwarded its recommendation to the Central Working Committee (CWC) which in its wisdom, called for a repeat of the primary election.

“The PDP wrote INEC, intimated the Nigeria Police, Civil Defence Corps and other relevant stakeholders of its decision to repeat the primary for Kaduna Central Senatorial Zone, which was a welcome development. 

“Unfortunately on the appointed date, our

client, after mobilising his supporters to the venue of the repeat primary, only to be told that the exercise would no longer  hold due to the directives of the powers that be. 

“We came to court seeking justice in that line and the judge has ruled that the party should follow the decision of the National Working Committee and conduct a fresh one  in two weeks,” Mr Atung said.

(NAN)