Yobe North Senatorial Seat: Fresh Twist As Aspirant Challenges Machina In Court

The race for Yobe North All Progressives Congress (APC) Senatorial ticket took another twist on Friday as one of the aspirants, Abubakar Abubakar Jinjiri, challenged Bashir Sheriff Machina, winner of the ticket, in court, Daily Trust reports.

Machina, who got 289 votes in the election, is currently locked in a battle with President of the Senate, Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan, but INEC document recognises Lawan’s rival as winner of Yobe North APC primary.

Lawan had lost in the party Presidential primary, but Machina refused to step down for him.

The APC submitted Lawan’s name as the Yobe Senatorial Candidate for 2023, a development that forced Machina to seek legal redress.

Jinjiri was listed as one of the parties in the suit before Justice Fadima Murtala Aminu of the Federal High Court, Damaturu, Yobe capital, on Friday.

His counsel, Barr Usman Lukman Nuhu, told Daily Trust that his client is challenging Machina, both APC state and National headquarters as well as Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), over exclusion.

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He said Jinjiri was deprived of participating in the Senatorial primary despite his presence at the venue.

He added: “I believe you have the copy of the result sheets of the primary you could clearly see that my client name and the vote he got were not there.”

He stated the exclusion of an aspirant contravened section (84) sub-section (3 and 4) of the electoral act.

Other seven cases emerging from the APC primary were also presented.

Meanwhile, all cases were adjourned till July 21, 2022.