Bashir Machina dragged to court on ground of exclusion at APC Yobe North Senate primary 

Kenny EMMAN 

The winner of All Progressives Congress, APC Yobe North Senatorial seat ticket, Bashir Sheriff Machina, has been dragged to court by another aspirant of the party. 

An aspirant, Abubakar Abubakar Jinjiri, is challenging Machina’s election on the ground of exclusion at the primary. 

Hearing of the case and six others has been fixed for 21 July in Damaturu High Court. 

Recall that INEC recognised Machina, who polled 289 votes as winner of the election and has rebuffed the APC, which substituted his name with President of the Senate, Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan. 

Lawan had lost in the APC’s Presidential primary and wanted the ticket to contest next year. 

But Machina refused to step down for him, threatening legal action. 

Jinjiri, Machina’s challenger was listed as one of the parties in the suit before Justice Fadima Murtala Aminu of the Federal High Court, Damaturu, Yobe capital, on Friday. 

His counsel, Barr Usman Lukman Nuhu, told newsmen that his client is challenging Machina, both APC state and National headquarters as well as Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), over exclusion. 

He said Jinjiri was deprived of participating in the Senatorial primary despite his presence at the venue. 

“I believe you have the copy of the result sheets of the primary you could clearly see that my client name and the vote he got were not there,” he said. 

He stated the exclusion of an aspirants contravened section (84) sub-section (3 and 4) of the electoral act. 

Other seven cases emerging from the APC primary were also presented.