The Supreme Court has dismissed a suit challenging the candidacy of Senator Elisha Abbo as the All Progressives Congress (APC) representative for Adamawa North Senatorial District in the last National Assembly election.

Justice Inyang Okoro in a unanimous judgement of a five-member panel of Justices, on Wednesday, dismissed the suit for lacking in merit.

Abdullahi Suleiman had dragged the senator to court challenging his emergence at the primary election conducted by the APC for Adamawa North Senatorial District.

However, the apex court held that Mr Suleiman was not competent to challenge the outcome of the election having not participated in the said election.

The appellant, therefore, through his counsel withdrew the appeal and it was subsequently dismissed by the apex court.

Mr Abbo of the APC won the March 25 senatorial election after scoring 71,927 votes while the PDP candidate, Yohanna Amos, scored 61,895 votes to come second, thus returning to the Red Chamber.

Mr Abbo had travelled a rough path to his victory; he was in court before the election fighting to overturn his expulsion from the APC by his Mubi North party executives after he fought a verbal war against APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket.

A Yola High Court presided over by Justice Mohammed Danladi had sacked Mr Abbo as the APC Senatorial candidate for Adamawa North senatorial zone for the March 25 election.

The court sacked him on the grounds that he was expelled from the party by his ward in Mubi.

However, the appellate court nullified the judgement of the State High Court, which upheld his expulsion from the ruling party, as earlier announced by the party’s leadership.

The court said the trial court had no jurisdiction to entertain the matter, affirming that Mr Abbo is a card-carrying member of the APC and is entitled to seek re-election into the Senate through his party’s ticket. 

(NAN)