Court Dismisses Maihaja’s Suit Against Yobe APC Governorship Candidate

By Ahmed Isah

The Federal High Court, Damaturu Judicial Division, has dismissed a pre-election suit filed by Mustapha Yunusa Maihaja challenging the nomination of Baba Mallam Wali as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Yobe.

The court, in its judgment delivered on Monday, upheld the preliminary objection that the suit was statute-barred, having been instituted outside the constitutionally prescribed period.

This is contained in a statement issued on Monday by Shuaibu Abdullahi, Press Secretary to Wali.

According to the statement, the court also considered the substantive allegations of over-voting raised by the plaintiff and held that he failed to establish the claims.

It said the court further ruled that even if the suit had been instituted within the stipulated time, it would still have failed on its merits.

The statement added that the court identified material contradictions and inconsistencies in the testimonies of the plaintiff’s witnesses, which rendered their evidence unreliable and insufficient to sustain the allegations.

It said the judgment affirmed the validity of Wali’s nomination as the APC governorship candidate in Yobe.

The statement commended the court for its consideration of the issues and expressed confidence in the judiciary as the custodian of justice and the rule of law.