A Federal High Court in Abuja has upheld the candidature of Dr. Alex Otti, the Governor-elect of Abia state, who contested the election under the Labour Party (LP) banner.
However, the court nullified the election of the LP candidates from Kano who participated in the 2023 general election.
The court’s decision came in response to an application filed by Ibrahim Haruna-Ibrahim, who sought to invalidate the certificate of return issued to all LP candidates declared winners in Kano and the 35 states of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The court ruled that the Labour Party’s failure to submit its membership register to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) within 30 days before their primaries rendered the process invalid.
As a result, the court nullified the primary election of the Labour Party in Kano State, declaring it null and void.
The court also ruled that the issuance of the certificate of return to the LP candidates in Kano was unlawful, as the party did not have a valid candidate.
The court advised the affected candidates to seek appropriate redress in the relevant division of the court.
The ruling has been met with mixed reactions. Some have praised the court for upholding the rule of law, while others have criticized the decision, saying that it will disenfranchise the people of Kano.
It remains to be seen how the ruling will affect the political landscape in Kano and Abia states.
