The Certified True Copy (CTC) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed Bashir Sheriff Machina as the winner of the Yobe North senatorial primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Machina obtained the document on Thursday amidst the drama surrounding his ticket.

Last week, the APC removed his name and submitted that of the president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan as the senatorial candidate of the zone.

Meanwhile, the national chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu, in an interview insisted that Ahmad Lawan was the candidate recognised by the party as far as Yobe North senatorial district was concerned.

But in a swift response, Machina threatened to seek legal redress to reclaim his ticket.

According to a four-page CTC document obtained from the INEC in Damaturu, Bashir Sheriff Machina won the Yobe senatorial primary with 289 votes.

Meanwhile, the race for the senatorial ticket took another twist yesterday as one of the aspirants, Abubakar Abubakar Jinjiri, filed a suit against Machina.

In a ‘cause list’ presented before Justice Fadima Murtala Aminu at the Federal High Court in Damaturu yesterday, Jinjiri challenged the legality of Machina’s victory.

His counsel, Usman Lukman Nuhu, told our correspondent that his client was challenging Machina, the APC and INEC over exclusion.

He said Jinjiri was deprived of the opportunity to participate in the senatorial primary despite his presence at the venue.

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

He said the exclusion of an aspirant contravenes Section (84) subsection (3 and 4) of the electoral act.

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

All cases were adjourned to July 21 for hearing. (Text, excluding headline: Daily Trust)

Update news