Zamfara guber: Court dismisses PDP’s suit seeking to disqualify Matawalle

A federal high court in Abuja has dismissed a suit by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking to disqualify Bello Matawalle, Zamfara governor, from participating in the state’s governorship election.

Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge, in his ruling, dismissed the suit on the grounds that it was incompetent and constituted an abuse of court process.

In a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1622/2022, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Matawalle, and Hassan Mohammed Gusau, Zamfara deputy governor, are listed as first to fourth defendants, respectively.

The PDP also listed all APC’s senatorial, house of representatives, and house of assembly candidates in the state — including Abdulaziz Yari, former governor, and Kabir Marafa, a former lawmaker — as defendants in the suit.

The PDP faulted the indirect mode of primary adopted by the APC in selecting its preferred candidates and sought an order nullifying the “sponsorship and/or nomination of the 3rd to 38th defendants by the APC (2nd defendant) to INEC for the 2023 general elections into the respective positions of the elective offices in Zamfara”.

Delivering judgment, Ekwo upheld all the preliminary objections raised by APC and its candidates.

The judge held that the plaintiff was not an aspirant in the APC primaries and thus, lacked the locus standi to institute the suit.

He also held that the suit constitutes an abuse of court process.

Furthermore, Ekwo agreed with the defence that the suit was statute-barred, having been filed outside the 14 days of the cause of action as prescribed by law.

Consequently, the suit was dismissed.