The winner of the Katagum federal constituency of Bauchi state on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party ( NNPP), Alhaji Kabiru Mohammed, Tuesday dragged his party before the Federal High Court, sitting in Bauchi, for allegedly submitting the name of another candidate to INEC for the 2023 general elections despite successfully winning at the party’s primary election.
Kabiru’s name was reportedly substituted when the INEC published the names of candidates submitted by political parties with name of Ibrahim Mohammed Baba who did not participate in the party’s primary due to his participation in the Bauchi North Senatorial contest on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Kabiru Mohammed, who contested the primary election and won, went to the court to challenge the attempt by the party to take his mandate after INEC recognised Baba as the NNPP candidate for the Katagum federal constituency.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the case was mentioned for hearing at the Federal High Court, Bauchi, counsel to the petitioner, Hassan ElYakub, (SAN) stated that there was an issue of representation as two counsels appeared for the defendant.
“We filled our case to seek an injunction to prohibit Baba from parading himself as the candidate of the NNPP for Katagum federal constituency in the forthcoming general elections. NNPP surprisingly submitted Ibrahim’s name to INEC as the candidate against Kabiru, but we will not leave any stone unturned in reclaiming the mandate.”