Zamfara North: Court upholds order for fresh APC primary

The Court of Appeal sitting in Sokoto has dismissed an appeal filed by Senator Sahabi Ya’u Kaura challenging the judgement of the Federal High Court in Gusau over the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary election for Zamfara North.
The appellate court upheld the decision of the lower court in a case instituted by Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, an APC senatorial aspirant, and affirmed the order for a fresh primary election in the district.
Counsel to Shinkafi, Bello Galadi, disclosed this while speaking with journalists after the judgement, saying the court resolved all the issues raised by the appellant and dismissed the appeal for lack of merit.
Galadi said Kaura had challenged the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to entertain the suit, but the Court of Appeal upheld the lower court’s authority to hear and determine the matter.
He added that the appellate court also rejected the argument that the lower court had wrongly shifted the burden of proof to the appellant.
According to him, the evidence presented established non-compliance with the APC’s rules and guidelines governing the primary election.
The lawyer described the judgement as a victory for democracy and the rule of law, saying it reaffirmed that no individual was above the law.
“This judgement has vindicated my client’s decision to pursue the case and sent a strong message to those who consider themselves above the law,” he said.
Shinkafi had approached the Federal High Court in Gusau, alleging that the APC senatorial primary for Zamfara North was not conducted and that there were irregularities in the process.

The court ruled in his favour and ordered the party to conduct a fresh primary election within 14 days.

Dissatisfied with the judgement, Kaura proceeded to the Court of Appeal to challenge the decision.

Reacting to the appellate court’s ruling, Shinkafi described it as a victory for democracy and urged his supporters across Shinkafi, Birnin Magaji, Zurmi and Kaura Namoda local government areas to continue advocating for what he called equitable political representation.

The dispute centres on the APC’s process for selecting its senatorial candidate for Zamfara North ahead of the forthcoming elections.