Court upholds Kwankwaso’s son in-law as Kano PDP guber candidate

• Kaduna APC women, youths declare support for PRP, Shehu Sani
A Kano High Court yesterday upheld the Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s son-in-law as the duly elected gubernatorial candidate in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s primaries in the state.The court, presided over by Justice A.T Gadamasi, struck out the suit filed by one Ja’afar Sani Bello challenging the eligibility of Abba Kabir Dambatta as the PDP candidate.

The plaintiff had asked the court to declare that the PDP primaries held in October 2018 was null and void, claiming that Dambatta failed to satisfy the declaration of the party before returning to the PDP.

Ja’afar who came second at the primaries had insisted that Kwankwanso’s in-law was not duly registered as a member of the party, after his defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In the originating summons filed by his counsel, Abdul Ali Fagge, the plaintiff sought the court to determine whether or not, the PDP gubernatorial candidate complied with section 8, sub-section 8 of the PDP’s constitution, as well as section 23, sub-section A&B of PDP electoral law.He also argued that Dambatta failed to apply in writing for readmission to the PDP, after his defection from APC, through his ward’s secretary as required by PDP constitution.

Bello urged the court to declare him the duly elected candidate from the primaries.Counsel to the defendant, Bashir Yusuf Mohammad had challenged the jurisdiction of the court to preside over the suit. He also queried that the plaintiff failed to satisfy the 14 days period required by the constitution after the primaries.Bello expressed satisfaction with the position of the court, but added that he would require consultation before deciding whether to appeal the ruling.

Meanwhile, hundreds of All Progressives Congress (APC) members in Kaduna have defected to the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) to support its senatorial candidate, Shehu Sanni.

Leader of the APC women, Hajiya Binta Ali said: “We decided to dump the APC because of the suffering meted on us by the government of El—Rufai and his poor leadership.”Sani, representing Kaduna central senatorial district, received them at a rally at Sabo, in Kaduna metropolis.He pledged to uplift the welfare of the people and Nigerians at large, if he is re-elected.The senator urged them to vote out the APC, which he said is a sinking ship and the party of a government that has wrecked the nation’s economy and turned the whole country into a killing field.