Court of Appeal Sokoto division has struck out the appeal of the Zamfara People’s Democratic Party PDP and three others for lack of merit.
The Presiding judge Muhammad Shuibu while reading the judgement described the appeal as a mere academic exercise that cannot be entertained by the court.
Justice Muhammad Shuaibu said by conduct, the appellants have lost the right to appeal by proceeding to conduct a fresh primary election in compliance to the lower court order.
The judge also upheld the decision of the lower court that nullified the party’s primary election that produced Dauda Lawal Dare for some irregularities that denied women delegates from participating in the conduct of the primaries and orders a fresh primary elections.
The court also awarded a cost of one hundred thousand naira against the appellants for filing preliminary objection that consume substantial time of the court.
The Federal High Court in Gusau had earlier twice cancelled the Governorship Primary of the Zamfara State Peoples Democratic Party over what the it said were non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022 as amended.
The Zamfara State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic had appealed the judgment at both times and the Court of appeal hearing comes after the party held another Governorship Primary in compliance with the ruling of the Federal High Court in Gusau.
The Peoples Democratic Party was initially thought to be headed the way of the All Progressives Congress in Zamfara State in the 2019 Elections in the State where the Courts had ruled that the party should not field candidates for the elections having invalidated its primaries for all elective positions in the State.
It was erroneously reported too that the Courts had cancelled all primaries conducted by the Peoples Democratic Party in Zamfara State before it was made clear that that was not the case.
