The Kano State division of the Court of Appeal on Friday, sacked son of former Head of State, Sani Abacha Muhammed, as the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming general elections.
In his place, the appellate court ordered that his opponent, Sadiq Wali, who had earlier been recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), be reinstated as the valid gubernatorial candidate of the party.
In the ruling by a panel of three justices of the court led by Justice Usman Musale, the court held that the law was clear that only the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party can conduct the gubernatorial primary elections of a party, noting that since Abacha did not participate at the primary election conducted by NEC that produced Wali, he therefore had no “locus standi” to challenge the primary.
A Federal High Court had in December 2022, declared Abacha as the authentic governorship flag bearer of the PDP ahead of the 2023 election in a case he had instituted against Wali and the party.
The presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar had, on Thursday, set tongues wagging when he refused to hand over the party flag to either Abacha or Wali at the presidential campaign rally of the party in Kano, which led many to believe there was more to the feud than was made known to the public.
