Supreme Court confirms Ishaku as APC candidate for Bwari chairmanship
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has declared Joshua Ishaku as the rightful All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Bwari Area Council chairmanship. The court set aside earlier decisions that favoured Haruna Audi, resolving all issues in Ishaku’s favour. The judgment affirms the dissenting view of Justice Okon Abang and orders authorities to publish Ishaku’s name as the APC candidate. The dispute centred on the party’s primary and the exhaustion of internal remedies.
What we know
- The Supreme Court upheld the dissenting judgment of Justice Okon Abang, declaring Joshua Ishaku as the APC candidate for the Bwari Area Council chairmanship election.
- The court set aside the majority ruling of the Court of Appeal, which had earlier affirmed Haruna Audi as the party’s candidate.
- The apex court found that Ishaku was denied fair hearing and that issues in the case went beyond internal party affairs.
- The court held that only a loser in an election is expected to exhaust domestic dispute resolution mechanisms before approaching the court, not the declared winner.
- The Supreme Court ordered the relevant authorities to publish Ishaku’s name as the APC candidate for the council election, settling the dispute over the party’s candidacy.
