Buhari’s Former Minister Sues ADC After Losing Gubernatorial Primary
- A Federal High Court in Abuja scheduled a hearing for September 29 in a suit challenging the ADC governorship primary result in Nasarawa State
- Former Minister Mohammed Hassan Abdullahi's campaign organisation rejected Major General Nuhu Angbazo's declaration as winner of the primary
- The campaign DG alleged that a local government result where Abdullahi led by over 10,000 votes was cancelled despite an INEC report confirming peaceful elections
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
FCT, Abuja - A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed September 29 for hearing in a suit challenging the outcome of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship primary in Nasarawa State.
The Director General of the MHA Campaign Organisation, Barrister John Mathew, said all parties had received court documents and exchanged their filings, but the matter was pushed back because of the court's annual vacation.
Source: Twitter
As reported by Daily Trust, Mathew disclosed the development in Keffi after a meeting of the campaign team backing former Minister of Environment, Mohammed Hassan Abdullahi. Mathew
"Hopefully on the 29th, the court will hear us and then reserve judgment."
Campaign organisation rejects Angbazo declaration
The campaign organisation maintained its position that Major General Nuhu Angbazo did not legitimately win the ADC primary in Nasarawa State.
Mathew argued that the process which produced Angbazo's declaration was fundamentally flawed.
"You don't cancel an election after it has been conducted and results are known simply to confer advantage on somebody."
Mathew described the case as "very unique," pointing to what he called the cancellation of results from an entire local government where Abdullahi led by more than 10,000 votes.
He said the party justified the cancellation on grounds of violence, but that a certified report from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) told a different story.
According to Mathew, the INEC document before the court reads:
"We monitored this election in all the 11 wards, and the elections were peaceful, and these are the results."
He said the cancelled results have been submitted as evidence and that the figures match what his team recorded independently.
Mathew added that the party chose to set those results aside entirely rather than collate them.
"We will insist that justice be done, and we'll take this case to the very, very last court in Nigeria, if it becomes necessary. So, we don't accept him as a candidate for ADC because he never won any election."
No reconciliation while dispute stands
On whether the two camps could reach a settlement, Mathew ruled out any talks as long as Angbazo's declaration remains in place.
"You don't steal something that belongs to another person, and while still holding it in your left hand, you reach out with your right hand asking for forgiveness and for reconciliation. The first thing for you to do is to drop that thing that you have stolen before you ask for forgiveness."
Abdullahi served as Minister of Environment under former President Muhammadu Buhari before contesting the ADC primary ahead of the Nasarawa State governorship election.
The party's announcement of Angbazo as winner triggered the legal action now before the Federal High Court.
Ex-DSS boss dumps ADC for APM
Recall that former Katsina governorship aspirant Lawal Musa Daura dumped the ADC for the Allied People's Movement (APM).
Daura, a former DSS Director-General, said injustice and unstable leadership in the ADC drove his exit from the party.
The ex-security chief addressed rumours about the real reason for his departure and spoke about his political plans ahead of 2027.
Source: Legit.ng
