Appeal Court affirms Abdulrazaq as Kwara APC gov candidate

The Court of Appeal in Ilorin on Tuesday affirmed Alhaji
Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s election as the candidate of the All
Progressives Congress for the governorship poll in Kwara State on
March 2, after setting aside an earlier ruling by the Kwara State
High Court.

The Court of Appeal also held that the state high court lacked
jurisdiction to entertain any suit against the Independent National
Electoral Commission.

In a unanimous decision on the interlocutory appeal filed by the
APC, the Court of Appeal held that the ratification of Abdulrazaq
as the governorship candidate of the party by the National Working
Committee of APC was in order.

However, the Ishola Balogun-Fulani faction of the party said
they would challenge the judgment at the Supreme Court.

Justice Hamma Barka, who read the ruling of the appellate court,
said the originating summons by the Balogun-Fulani faction was not
sealed by the registry and that robbed the court of
jurisdiction.

He upheld the four grounds of the appeal filed by the APC
faction led by Bashir Bolarinwa and set aside the ruling of the
state high court on October 24, 2018.

Justice Barka said a state executive committee of a party was
just a branch of its national headquarters and so had no power or
right to conduct any presidential, governorship, National Assembly
and state House of Assembly primary elections.

The Appeal Court said Balogun-Fulani’s case was defective in all
ramifications because the originating summons was incurably
defective.

The secretary of the Balogun-Fulani faction, Christopher Ayeni,
told our correspondent that they were not satisfied with the
judgement of the Appeal Court disqualifying the candidates produced
by them for the general elections.

Ayeni said, “We are aware of the judgement and our lawyers are
discussing the way forward, but definitely, we are going to
challenge it at the Supreme Court which is the highest court in
Nigeria.”

In a statement, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC,
Lanre Issa-Onilu, said, “The ruling gives our teeming supporters
and the good people of Kwara the added momentum to free the state
from the grip of self-appointed leaders who have held Kwara
backward for years.

“Nigerians will recall Saraki’s shameless attempt to hijack and
sabotage the APC structure in Kwara State through his political
mercenaries parading themselves as the Ishola Balogun-Fulani-led
party executives in the state. That plan has failed woefully as a
new Kwara beckons.

“It is heartwarming that Saraki is seeing the limits of impunity
as Kwarans prepare for long-awaited freedom, progress and
development under a progressive APC dispensation.”

The APC Field Operations Directorate of the Presidential
Campaign Council in the state also applauded the judgement.

A statement by Kayode Oyin-Zubair, Deputy Coordinator, Field
Operations Directorate said, “The judgement couldn’t have stood
further judicial tests. We knew from the outset that the whole
process was orchestrated to weaken our support base and cause
confusion amongst our supporters.

“The authenticity of the Bashir Bolarinwa executive has been
affirmed by the appellate court. Earlier today, an end was put to
the shenanigans of Saraki and his cohorts in Kwara State.”

The Court of Appeal in Ilorin on Tuesday affirmed Alhaji
Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s election as the candidate of the All
Progressives Congress for the governorship poll in Kwara State on
March 2, after setting aside an earlier ruling by the Kwara State
High Court.

The Court of Appeal also held that the state high court lacked
jurisdiction to entertain any suit against the Independent National
Electoral Commission.

In a unanimous decision on the interlocutory appeal filed by the
APC, the Court of Appeal held that the ratification of Abdulrazaq
as the governorship candidate of the party by the National Working
Committee of APC was in order.

However, the Ishola Balogun-Fulani faction of the party said
they would challenge the judgment at the Supreme Court.

Justice Hamma Barka, who read the ruling of the appellate court,
said the originating summons by the Balogun-Fulani faction was not
sealed by the registry and that robbed the court of
jurisdiction.

He upheld the four grounds of the appeal filed by the APC
faction led by Bashir Bolarinwa and set aside the ruling of the
state high court on October 24, 2018.

Justice Barka said a state executive committee of a party was
just a branch of its national headquarters and so had no power or
right to conduct any presidential, governorship, National Assembly
and state House of Assembly primary elections.

The Appeal Court said Balogun-Fulani’s case was defective in all
ramifications because the originating summons was incurably
defective.

The secretary of the Balogun-Fulani faction, Christopher Ayeni,
told our correspondent that they were not satisfied with the
judgement of the Appeal Court disqualifying the candidates produced
by them for the general elections.

Ayeni said, “We are aware of the judgement and our lawyers are
discussing the way forward, but definitely, we are going to
challenge it at the Supreme Court which is the highest court in
Nigeria.”

In a statement, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC,
Lanre Issa-Onilu, said, “The ruling gives our teeming supporters
and the good people of Kwara the added momentum to free the state
from the grip of self-appointed leaders who have held Kwara
backward for years.

“Nigerians will recall Saraki’s shameless attempt to hijack and
sabotage the APC structure in Kwara State through his political
mercenaries parading themselves as the Ishola Balogun-Fulani-led
party executives in the state. That plan has failed woefully as a
new Kwara beckons.

“It is heartwarming that Saraki is seeing the limits of impunity
as Kwarans prepare for long-awaited freedom, progress and
development under a progressive APC dispensation.”

The APC Field Operations Directorate of the Presidential
Campaign Council in the state also applauded the judgement.

A statement by Kayode Oyin-Zubair, Deputy Coordinator, Field
Operations Directorate said, “The judgement couldn’t have stood
further judicial tests. We knew from the outset that the whole
process was orchestrated to weaken our support base and cause
confusion amongst our supporters.

“The authenticity of the Bashir Bolarinwa executive has been
affirmed by the appellate court. Earlier today, an end was put to
the shenanigans of Saraki and his cohorts in Kwara State.”