The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the judgement of the Federal High Court in Damaturu which awarded the All Progressives Congress (APC) Yobe North senatorial candidate to Bashir Machina against Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
Justice Fadima Murtala Aminu on September 28 pronounced Machina as the authentic candidate of the APC following a suit challenging his party for substituting his name with that of the Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
Though the Senate President, in a statement, accepted the outcome of the judgement and promised not to appeal, Yobe APC chairman Mohammed Gadaka insisted that the party did not share the position of Lawan and will appeal the judgements.
The appeal, which was filed at the Appeal Court in Gombe last month, was however transferred to Abuja Division.
But the Appeal Court dismissed the case for lack of merit. President of the Court, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, who delivered the judgement, held the Federal High Court, Damaturu was right when it validated the May 28th APC senatorial primary election that produced Machina because it was duly monitored by INEC.
The court also awarded N1 million damages to Machina. The judgement may have laid to rest the tussle for the Yobe North senatorial seat between Lawan and Machina.
