Supreme Court affirms Lawan as Yobe North APC senatorial candidate

The Supreme Court has affirmed Ahmad Lawan, Nigeria’s senate president, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for the Yobe North district.

The apex court sustained the appeal filed by the APC against Bashir Machina’s candidature in a majority judgment delivered on Monday.

Lawan will serve as the APC senatorial candidate in the place of Bashir Machina, the former APC candidate for the Yobe North senatorial district.

“The bedrock of the suit shows that there were allegations of fraudulent practices against the appellants,” the Supreme Court judge said.

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Lawan participated in the APC presidential primaries in June 2022 but lost to Bola Tinubu.

Machina had previously participated and won in the APC primaries for Yobe North senatorial candidature.

The APC asked Machina to step down for Lawan who did not participate in the APC primaries for the senatorial primaries, but he refused.

The party submitted Lawan’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the candidate for Yobe North. Machina protested against this, and INEC decided against listing any candidate for the APC in Yobe North.

A federal high court in Damaturu, Yobe State capital, ordered the APC and INEC to recognise Machina as the rightful candidate in September 2022. An Abuja appeal court also affirmed Machina’s position in November 2022.

Iwok Iniobong

With years of experience in Nigerian journalism, Iniobong Iwok has built a reputation for deep political insight, compelling storytelling, and consistent, fact-driven reporting. Over the years, he has gained extensive experience reporting and writing incisive political analysis. Iniobong has interviewed key political figures across Nigeria and covered major national events, including the 2019 and 2023 general elections. A versatile journalist, he also has strong experience in education reporting and sector analysis. His work reflects a deep commitment to good governance and public accountability. Iniobong holds a B.Sc. in Sociology from the University of Ilorin and an M.Sc. in Sociology (Development Specialisation) from Lagos State University.