Court Nullifies PDP Governorship Primary in Zamfara 

Onuminya Innocent

There was palpable fear in the fold of People Democratic party (PDP) Zamfara State as the Federal High Court sitting in Gusau, Zamfara State, yesterday, nullified the governorship primary election in the state that produced Dauda Lawan for 2023 election.

Justice Aminu Bappa during a court sitting in Gusau yesterday ordered that the party should conduct fresh governorship primaries in the state.

The PDP governorship primaries held on May 25 produced Dauda Lawal-Dare as the party’s governorship candidate for the  2023 governorship election in the state.

The three aspirants, who are plaintiffs in the suit, Mr. Shehu Baukaye, Wadat Madawaki and Hafiz Muhammad pulled out few minutes to the commencement of the exercise over alleged irregularities.

The election was conducted by a committee which was sent from the PDP National Headquarters Abuja, led by Adamu Maina-Waziri.

The defendants are the PDP, Maina-Waziri, Col. Bala Mande (rtd); Zamfara PDP Chairman, Lawal-Dare, the PDP governorship candidate, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Trial Judge, Bappa-Aliyu said that the court has granted all the prayers of the plaintiffs looking at the merit of the suit.

The 109 page judgement will be presented to the counsels of both parties according to the judge.

Addressing journalists at the court premises, the counsel to the plaintiffs Ibrahim Mani, said the court had nullified the election of Dauda Lawan Dare as the PDP candidate based on the prayers they had submitted before the court.

According to him, “part of our prayers, we urged the court to nullify the primary elections because of series of irregularities and we are happy that our prayers were granted.”

The state Legal Adviser of the PDP, Bashir Abubakar who represented the defendants in the court, said the PDP would study the judgement and appeal it because the trial judge gave a summary judgment.

Abubakar added that the judgement was in favour of plaintiffs and all the defendants were going to study it and know the next line of action.

But some PDP stakeholders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they fear a repeat of what happened to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019.