The Supreme Court of Nigeria
has dismissed the application by the Sokoto State chapter of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Senator Abdallah
Wali, to be joined as parties in a suit filed by Senator Umaru Dahiru
challenging the nomination of Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as the
candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the April 2015
election.
Presiding judge, Justice
Sulaiman Galadima, ruled that PDP and Wali lacked the locus standi to
apply to be joined in the suit, describing the two as interlopers who
should not take part in a matter purely involving another party.
Even though Sokoto PDP had
announced that they will not challenge the election of Tambuwal in 2015,
they sought to be joined as parties in Dahiru’s suit through case
number SC/67/2016, on the grounds that if it succeeds, Wali should be
declared winner of the election.
In a notice of motion for
joinder filed at the apex court by EK Ashiekaa, SAN, Wali and PDP
contended that having participated in the 2015 governorship election,
and having scored the next highest number of votes cast after that of
Tambuwal, they have sufficient grounds to be joined in the case.
They said the reliefs sought
by Dahiru would have an effect on the outcome of the Sokoto governorship
election by creating a vacuum.
“That the vacuum likely to be
created by the success of the Appellants appeal can only be filled by
the applicant who scored the next highest returned votes,” they argued.
Justice Galadima however
struck out the application, foreclosing any move by the PDP to get APC
removed from power in Sokoto through the back door.
No date yet has been set for
hearing of the interlocutory appeal filed by Senator Umar Dahiru
challenging the ruling of the Appeal Court which held that his case at
the Federal High Court against Tambuwal’s emergence as APC candidate for
the April 2015 governorship election could not proceed since it has
been overtaken by events and will be a mere academic exercise if it
proceeds.
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