Court declares Machina APC Yobe north senatorial candidate

The Federal High Court sitting in Damaturu has ordered the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Bashir Machina as the candidate for Yobe North senatorial candidate.

Justice Fadima Murtala Aminu ordered the APC to forward the name of Machina to INEC as the authentic winner of the primary, which was held on the 28/05/2022.

The judge described the primary election where Senate President Ahmad Lawan emerged as the candidate as “phantom”.

For months, Machina and Senate President Ahmad Lawan who is representing Yobe North in the upper chamber have been at loggerheads over the ticket won by the former at the primary held on June 9, 2022.

Lawan had contested the presidential primary of the ruling party at about the same time as the senatorial won by Machina. The Senate president, however, lost to Bola Tinubu, a development that forced him to jostle for the senatorial ticket.

Lawan has been in the National Assembly as a federal lawmaker for 23 unbroken years.