Court Declares Abacha as PDP Governorship Candidate in Kano, Sacks Wali

The Federal High Court in Kano on Thursday declared Mohammed, son of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, as the duly elected governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano State.

The court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to, with immediate effect, recognise him as the PDP governorship candidate in Kano for the 2023 general election.

Sadik Aminu Wali had been recognised as the PDP guber flagbearer in the state.

But Justice A.M Liman nullified the primary election that gave him the ticket.

Intra-party conflicts and litigations following parallel leadership structures troubled the PDP in Kano, which led to factional primary elections in Kano.

The other faction of the party, led by Senator Bello Hayatu Gawarzo, who is the Northwest vice chairman of the party, produced Sadiq Wali as the governorship candidate of its faction in a parallel primary.

The Rresident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kano, Prof. Riskuwa Shehu, had said INEC would recognise Abacha as the rightful candidate having been produced by the faction recognised by the court of law.

But when INEC published the names of governorship candidates that will participate in the 2023 general election, Abacha’s name was missing.

The electoral umpire had enlisted Sadiq Wali and Yusuf Bello Danbatta as gubernatorial and deputy gubernatorial candidates of the PDP in Kano.

Abacha then dragged Wali, PDP and INEC to a Federal High Court and sought his restoration and recognition as the Kano PDP governorship candidate in the 2023 election.

The court, in the virtual judgment on Thursday, granted all the prayers of the plaintiff in the suit.