By John Ikani
A High Court in Yola, Nigeria has sacked Senator Elisha Abbo as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Adamawa North Senatorial zone in the upcoming election.
The court found that Senator Abbo had been expelled from the party by his ward in the Mubi North Local Government Area (LGA) of Adamawa.
Justice Danladi held that the Senator and the APC are bound by the resolution of the APC Mubi North LGA chapter’s executive, which had expelled him from the party on October 7, 2022.
According to the court, Senator Abbo is no longer entitled to any rights or privileges accorded to APC members and that he cannot be recognized as a valid candidate for the party in the general election.
The court also restrained Senator Abbo from parading himself as a candidate of the party in the Northern Senatorial District in the forthcoming election.
It would be recalled that the Mubi North LGA executive of the party had on October 7, 2022 approved the expulsion of the Senator as recommended by the party’s disciplinary committee.
Thereafter, two APC members, Abdullahi Suleiman and Yusha’u Usman of Kolere and Sabon Layi Wards, Mubi North LGA, respectively, sued the Senator and sought for an interpretation regarding his status in APC.
The court further held that the action of the plaintiffs in suing the Senator was not an internal affair of the party and that they had the right to institute the action against him since they are registered members of the party.
The counsel to the plaintiffs, Abubakar Ali Esq, welcomed the court’s ruling while the counsel to the defendant, E. O. Odo, said that he would inform his client about the judgment.