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By Ibraheem Hamza Muhammad
A Federal High Court sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa State has fixed August 31 for hearing of the case of alledged unlawful substitution of the winner All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries for Keana State Constituency.
Ayose Mohammed-Mu’azu who claimed to have won the election dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC and Mohammed Omadefu for unlawfully substituting his name.
The plaintiff want the court to declare him as the candidate of APC in the 2023 general election in Keana constituency having won the primaries of May 28.
He also prayed the court to restrain anybody or INEC from recognising Omadefu, the substituted candidate for the election.
Mu’azu said after the adjournment, “According to the APC result sheet for the 2022 NSHA primary election signed by Chairman electoral committee and signed by Barrister Mustapha Iliyasu and Secretary Cecilia Itodo when the election was conducted on May 28th, 2022 in Keana.
“The result sheet shows that Atose Mohammed Muazu who is the plaintiff has polled 46 votes out 50 delegates, while the other aspirants didn’t score a single vote, they are: Adamu Mohammed Omadefu, Onawani Ibrahim Abubakar and Francis Shinku Akie.
“The four votes that were invalid was due to disparity in their names on their names on the list and on their means of identification card.
“At the end of the said primary election, I scored 46 votes to emerge winner of the primary election and defeated the other three aspirants including the 3rd defendant,” Atose said
In his remarks, Barrister Olabode Akimdele, counsel to Omadefu, said his client was the rightful winner of the primaries.
“We are in the court for the first time and we filed a motion to regularise our appearance in the matter, and the judge granted our application along side with INEC with similar motion,” he added.
According to the defendant lawyer, the plaintiff purportedly took his client to court with claim that he won the Keana constuency primary election.
After announcing appearances by counsels to the plaintiff and defenders, Justice Afolabi Nehizena the trail judge adjourned the case to August 31 for hearing.
