As we all know Sen. Aisha Alhassan is a member of APC. She is
challenging the nomination and sponsorship of
Gov. Darius Dickson Ishaku by PDP as its candidate
in the last Governorship election in Taraba State.
The Supreme Court in the Zamfara State
governorship case dismissed the appeal by the PDP
candidate in Zamfara Alh. Shinkafi who was
challenging the nomination and sponsorship of Gov.
Abdulaziz Yari of APC. The Supreme Court described
the PDP candidate as a “ busy body” who lacks the
locus standi to challenge the nomination and
sponsorship of Gov. Yari by APC since Shinkafi was
not an APC member.
The million dollar questions are:
1. What is Sen. Aisha’s fate in the Supreme Court?
2. Is Sen. Aisha a member of PDP?
3. Does she have the locus standi to challenge the
nomination and sponsorship of Gov. Darius by PDP?
4. Can Sen. Aisha change the settled position of the law
as decided by the supreme court in
Shinkafi Vs Yari,
Daniel vs INEC (2015) 9NWLR (pt.1463) 113 at 115 and
Dalhatu Vs Turaki (2003) 15 NWLRC (pt843)310?
In a unanimous decision of the Supreme Court
delivered by Inyang Okoro JSC, he held, “it is crystal
clear that this appeal is devoid of any scintilla of
merit and is accordingly dismissed”.
He justified the judgment on the following
grounds:-
Evidence on record shows that the appellants were
not aspirants who participated at the primary
election of APC.
Their complaint before this court is a challenge to the
selection or nomination of the 1st respondent by his
party (APC). The truth is that apart from the fact that
the appellants were not among the permitted by
section 87(9) of the Electoral Act to challenge the
nomination or selection of a candidate for election,
they failed to approach the APPROPRIATE court
which is Federal High Court of the FCT certainly, an
election Tribunal is not mentioned in section 87(9) of
Electoral Act.
Nkannu Onnoghen JSC also stated in the judgment
thus:
“It is settled law that the issue of nomination of a
candidate by a political party for any election is
within the exclusive preserve of the political parties
and that the courts have no jurisdiction to interfere
therein as decided in a number of cases including:
Onuoha vs. Okafor,
Uzodinma vs. Osita,
INEC vs. Daniel,
Gwede vs.INEC,
Ugwu vs. PDP e.t.c”
Sen. Aisha herself in her petition admitted in her
paragraphs 3 and 4 that Gov. Darius is a member of
PDP and that PDP nominated and sponsored Gov.
Darius for the election.
Why is Sen. Aisha now trying to interfere into the
domestic or internal affairs of PDP when she is not a
member of PDP?
Let her read the Supreme Court judgments and know
that her appeal will collapse on arrival to the
Supreme Court because the law is settled for all to
see even the blind.