Nasarawa West Senatorial aspirant, Barr. Labaran Magaji
By RICHARD ABU, Nasarawa –
A senatorial hopeful of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Barrister Labaran Shuaibu Magaji, says he remain a committed member of the ruling party despite dragging it to court over alleged electoral fraud .
Barrister Magaji stated this on Friday shortly after the hearing of his suit at the Federal High Court one in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.
The defendants in the suit are Arct. Shehu Tukur, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) , the national chairman of the ruling APC, Abdulahi Adamu, Hon. Abdulahi Abbas, Alh. Yakubu Muhammed Soja and Hon. Yusuf Adamu Auta.
Others joined in the suit are Major Gen. A.T Jibrin (Rtd) and Princes Mariam Onuha.
Bar. Magaji is praying the court to nullify the result of the senatorial primary election conducted which allegedly declared Architect Shehu Tukur as the candidate of the APC for Nasarawa West Senatorial District.
In a suit number FHC/LA/11/2022 filed on his behalf by Barrister Ishaku Mudi Dikko among other lawyers, Labaran Magaji is claiming that he won the primary election with 174 votes casted by the delegates but the APC officials that conducted the election manipulated the result in favour of Tukur and is calling on the court to do justice by cancelling the invalid votes.
When the case came up in court yesterday, there was total confusion as two different lawyers came to represent Senator Abdulahi Adamu and ended up quarrelling among themselves.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Nehizina Idumudia Afolabi, who was baffled by the attitude of the lawyers representing Abdulahi Adamu adjourned the case to the 3rd of August to enable the defence team sort themselves out of the confusion.
Justice Afolabi warned them that the case is a pre-election matter that is time bound and will not tolerate any delay antics from them.
In his reaction, The plaintiff, Labaran Magaji expressed shock over what he described as confusion over preliminary issues.
He stated that through out his years of practice as a lawyer, he has never seen a lawyer being imposed on the litigants but is optimistic that judgement will eventually be in his favor and urged his teeming supporters to remain calm.
Meanwhile, the lawyer representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ibrahim Bawa (SAN) assured that by August 3rd, the defense team would have sorted out themselves on the issues and the substantive matter, assuring that there is no cause for alarm.
