Supreme Court declares PDP candidate for Wase federal constituency in Plateau

Bakare LukmanJune 3, 2019

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The Supreme Court has declared Hamisu Mohammed Anani as the authentic House of Representatives Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Wase Federal Constituency of Plateau state.

The court, in unanimous a judgement, held Hamisu’s name ought to have been sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the House of Representatives candidate of the PDP for the Wase Federal Constituency in Plateau State, having scored the highest votes cast in the party’s primary election held on 3rd October, last year.

Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, in the lead judgment, upheld the concurrent judgments of the Federal High Court, Jos and the Court of Appeal, Jos, in which Hamisu was declared the PDP candidate, having won the majority votes in the primary election.

The Federal High Court had, in its judgment, ordered the PDP to submit Anani’s name as its House of Representative Candidate for Wase Federal Constituency, to INEC.

In his judgement, Justice Musa Kurya of the Federal High Court 2, Jos division, said the plaintiff (Hamisu) satisfied all conditions having scored the highest number of votes during the party’s primary election.

Justice Kurya held that the 1st defendant, Umar Suleiman Rabo’s nomination by the PDP as is candidate did not follow the statutory procedure as he (Rabo) did not score the highest vote cast at the primary election for Wase Federal Constituency.

“The party laws provide that a candidate with the highest votes cast at a primary election organised by NEC of a political party to the knowledge of INEC can approach the court for redress if he is excluded by the party.”

Justice Kurya said, from available records before him, the plaintiff (Hamisu) satisfied all conditions, having scored the highest votes and was issued with the requisite form CFOO1 and form EC4B, dated 17th October, 2018.

Justices Tani Y. Hassan, Habib Abiru and Muhammad Oniyangi of the Court of Appeal, Jos division, upheld Justice Kurya’s decision in their unanimous judgment given on March 28, 2019.