Just In: APC Finally Bows, Dumps Lawan From 2023 Senatorial Race

• Ahmed Lawan, the senate president, has been dumped by the ruling APC from the Yobe North senatorial race in Yobe as the party wrote INEC to recognise Bashir Machina
• A federal high court in Damaturu, Yobe state, has ordered that Lawan is not the candidate of the party because he did not participate in the party's legally recognised primary, while it recognises Machina as the qualified candidate
• This means that Lawan will not be holding any elective position since the return of democracy in Nigeria in 1999

FCT, Abuja - The All Progressives Congress (APC) has adhered to the court order that disqualified the senate president, Ahmed Lawan, as the party’s senatorial candidate for Yobe North.

The party wrote to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Bashir Machina as the APC’s candidate for the senatorial district as directed by the federal high court, Damaturu, The Punch reported.

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What is the latest about APC, Lawan, Machina?

Abdullahi Adamu and Iyiola Omisore, the APC’s national chairman and secretary, in a letter, also directed the electoral umpire to publish the name of Machina on its website in line with the court order.

The letter reads in part:

“We write to notify the commission of the attached judgment dated September 28, 2022, and order dated October 5, 2022, from the Federal High Court, Damaturu Judicial Division, directing the commission to accept and recognise Machina as the party’s candidate for Yobe North Senatorial District, Yobe State, and publish same accordingly.”

Court stops Lawan from contesting in 2023 election

A federal high court sitting in Damaturu, the Yobe state capital, said Nigeria’s senate president, Ahmed Lawan, was not the elected candidate of the APC in Yobe north for the 2023 national assembly elections.

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The court affirmed the candidacy of Machina as the bonafide candidate of the party, being the winner of the legally-recognised primary election, which was supervised by INEC.

The election was held on May 28, and Lawan did not participate.

When was Lawan first elected into the national assembly?

This means that the senate president would not hold any elective office for the first time since the return of democracy in 1999.

Lawan was first elected in 1999 into the house of representatives to represent the Bade/Jakusko federal constituency in Yobe state

Buhari in national assembly for his last budget presentation, Lawan makes fresh vow

Legit.ng earlier reported that President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived at the national assembly for his 2023 budget presentation.

The presentation is the last Buhari would carry out as Nigeria's president as he would be completing his second term tenure in 2023.

The senate president Ahmed Lawan, while speaking at the reception of Buhari, promised that the budget will be passed before the end of 2022.

Source: Legit.ng