Kano: Court orders INEC to recognise Bashir as LP guber candidate

A Federal High Court in Kano has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise and publish Bashir Ishaq Bashir’s name as the Labour Party’s legally nominated candidate for the 2023 Kano State Gubernatorial election.

Daily Trust reports that the electoral umpire had published the name of Muhammad Raji Abdullahi as the candidate of the party in October but Bashir, who joined the party from the All Progressives Congress (APC), had approached the court arguing that Abdullahi was a placeholder who had voluntarily resigned.

He argued that following the resignation of Abdullahi, another primary election was conducted by the party and he (Bashir) emerged winner and thus ought to be legally recognised as the party’s gubernatorial candidate for Kano state along with Alhaji Abdullahi Auwalu as his running mate.

Delivery judgment in the suit on Monday, Justice M.N Yunusa, agreed with the submissions of Bashir and ordered that Bashir and Auwal having fulfilled all the legal requirements prescribed under the constitution and the Electoral Act 2022 are entitled to all the rights and benefits of their candidature as a validly nominated Governorship and Deputy Governorship candidates of the LP in Kano State.

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The judge also held that INEC would be conducting an illegal, unconstitutional, null and void gubernatorial election in Kano state if it goes ahead with the March 11 polls without publishing the name of Bashir as the LP candidate before the election.

Justice Yunusa, thereafter ordered INEC to accept and deem the hard copy of Form EC9 submitted on October 20 bearing Bashir’s name as lawful and sufficient to meet the requirement of Section 29 (2) of the Electoral Act, 2022.