A few hours after a Federal High Court sitting in Kano State affirmed Mohammed Abacha as the authentic governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the 2023 election, a parallel candidate, Sadiq Wali, has vowed to challenge the ruling.
The presiding judge, Justice A. M. Liman, in his judgement delivered virtually, had on Thursday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to substitute Wali’s name with that of Abacha, a son of the late Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha.
The court recognised the primary election held at the Lugard House by Shehu Wada Sagagi‘s faction, which produced Abacha, but rejected the primary election held by Wali’s faction at the Sani Abacha Youth Centre.
Irked by the judgement, Wali, a son of a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali, while briefing journalists on Thursday evening called on party supporters to remain calm, saying his lawyers were already studying the judgement in preparation for an appeal.
Wali said, “We will win at the Appeal Court, God willing. We will be victorious and emerge the winner of the 2023 election by God’s grace. This judgement is riddled with errors but because I am not a legal practitioner, I cannot say much on this, but my lawyers will speak about it.”
His lawyer, Nasir Adamu Aliyu (SAN), said they had more than 20 grounds for appeal. He noted that Wali earlier won at the Appeal Court when an aspirant, Ja’afar Sani Bello, challenged the primary election that produced him.
He said the court ruled that only the national body and not a state chapter could conduct a valid governorship primary.
He also said Wali had given him the nod to file an appeal on Friday.
