Home » News » We won’t hear your case if defendants are not put on notice – Federal High Court tells Ribadu
The Federal High Court in Yola has told Nuhu Ribadu that it would not hear a suit he instituted against APC candidate in Adamawa State, Aisha Ahmed and INEC until he put the candidate on notice.
Justice Abdulaziz Anka stated this on Monday.
The suit has the APC as first defendant, the governorship candidate as second defendant and INEC as third defendant.
The judge adjourned till June 29, 2022.
Justice Anka said fairness demanded that the candidate be aware of the application against her in court because Ribadu, a former EFCCC boss, was seeking an interlocutory order.
Ribadu had contested the election on May 26, 2022, but lost to Ahmed who polled 430 votes to become the only female governorship candidate in the North.
The former EFCC chairman, who came second with 288 votes, was the only aspirant who went to court to challenge the election; praying the court to compel the APC to conduct a fresh governorship primary.
His prayers read, “A declaration that the primary election conducted by the 1st defendant for the governorship candidate of Adamawa State on May 27, 2022, was not validly conducted in accordance with the provisions of Sections 224 of the 1999 Constitution, Section 84 (1) (2) (5) (b) of the Electoral Act 2022, articles 26.3 and 20. 4 (iii) (2) of the APC Constitution, and paragraphs 22 (iii) (I) of the Guidelines for the Nomination of Candidates for the 2023 General Elections, to warrant the declaration and return of the 2nd defendant as the winner of the said primary election.
“A declaration that the primary election conducted by the 1st defendant for the governorship candidate of Adamawa State on May 27, 2022 was vitiated by over voting; therefore the 2nd defendant did not score the majority of valid votes cast during the said election.”