The Court of Appeal sitting in Sokoto has dismissed an application filed by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Zamfara, Dr Dauda Lawal, challenging the ruling of a Federal High Court in Gusau, Zamfara State.
The High court had earlier nullified the primary election which produced Lawal as the governorship candidate of the PDP for the 2023 election in Zamfara State.
Ibrahim Shehu, a governorship aspirant of the PDP in Zamfara State, had sought the order of the court nullifying the emergence of Dr Lawal as the PDP candidate in the state.
Shehu had claimed that the primary election that returned Lawal as the PDP governorship candidate reeked of irregularities.
He had approached a Federal High Court Gusau, which later nullified the primary and directed the party to conduct a rerun within 14 days.
The PDP complied with the judgement, conducted the rerun and Lawal, again, emerged winner and was declared governorship candidate.
Not satisfied with the process of the rerun, Shehu approached the same High Court the second time, maintaining that there was no election, a claim which the court also validated.
In its ruling, the court restrained the PDP from the 2023 governorship election in Zamfara State.
Ruling on Wednesday, in an appeal filed by Lawal against the ruling of the Lower Court, the appellate court in a unanimous judgement of a panel of judges led by Justice Muhammad Shuaibu, held that Lawal’s appeal was an abuse of judicial process.
The court held that the appellant had no right to appeal the judgement he had already complied with.
It, therefore, awarded N100,000 cost in favour of the respondent which the appellants should pay.
Responding, appellant’s counsel, Aminu Aliyu, said would explore of the opportunity of appealing the judgement in the Supreme Court but lawyer to the respondent, Ndiana Anaka, hailed the judgement, saying it was a victory for democracy and rule of law.
