By Habibu Nuhu Kila
ALL the hullabaloo that has trailed the governorship primary elections of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Jigawa State since May 26, 2022, was finally laid to rest by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on Friday, the 13th of January, 2023.
The apex court in Nigeria affirmed that the incumbent deputy governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Umar Namadi remains the lawful governorship candidate of the APC in the state for the coming general election next month.
Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, who read the unanimous judgement of the court, affirmed the judgement of the November 4 judgment of the Court of Appeal which upheld the initial judgement of the Federal High Court, Dutse, delivered by Justice Hassan Dikko on September 13, 2022.
Justice Dikko had dismissed the suit filed by Hon Farouk Adamu Aliyu, a former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, against the conduct of the primary election seeking to nullify the process and urging the he court to reverse the election of Alhaji Namadi as the APC candidate in the coming gubernatorial election.
Dissatisfied, Hon Farouk Adamu Aliyu had approached the Court of Appeal in Kano, but the appeal court affirmed Justice Dikko’s judgement, still pronouncing Alhaji Namadi as validly voted.
Still dissatisfied, the former lawmaker had appealed to the Supreme Court which finally ruled that his appeal all the while was without merit, thereby dismissing it in its entirety.
By the Supreme Court’s verdict on Friday, the APC in Jigawa State is sure of its governorship candidate, and can now focus on the coming general election without any further distraction.
But Friday’s victory was not that of Alhaji Namadi alone, it was victory for all members of APC in Jigawa State. It was also a victory for Hon. Farouk Adamu Aliyu and Governor Badaru Abubakar, in the spirit of good leadership and democratic conscience, has applauded the former lawmaker for accepting the judgment.
In the same vein, the APC in Jigawa State believes that his democratic disposition will prevail and make him realise that it is time to move forward, time to work for the collective interest of the party.
Of course, going to court to seek the truth can never be seen as a perversion in politics, at least not within the APC in Jigawa State. But, when the truth has been attained, the party expects everyone to comply with the court verdict and remain within the family until the ultimate electoral victory is achieved.
It is certain that if the court verdict had gone the other way, the party would have complied with the court’s orders without hesitation.
Certainly, there is no doubt that APC’s primary concern is to give Jigawa State a befitting leader who will propel the state forward by building on the legacies of past leaders and surmounting the challenges of the 21st century in the areas of economy, health, education, security, agriculture and technological advancement.
All these may not be easily achievable without the support of all members of the party and all Jigawa State citizens. That is why the party must approach the February election with a common and united front. All hands must be on deck from within to wade off any threat from the opposition.
Hon Farouk Adamu Aliyu has a vital role to play in making Alhaji Umar Namadi win the governorship election for the APC in this election year, just like all other party bigwigs as well as party loyalists in the state have significant task to undertake in galvanizing the party to victory in all elective positions.
Habibu Kila is the Special Adviser Media and Public Relations to the Jigawa State Governor.