Machina vs Lawan: Ozekhome Reacts to Supreme Court’s Final Verdict, Reveals Fresh Position

• The recent verdict of the Supreme Court regarding the APC senatorial candidate for Yobe North has continued to spark reactions online
• Mike Ozekhome (SAN) while reacting to the verdict, expressed shock while noting that Machina is clearly the authentic APC candidate
• The legal practitioner, however, predicted that there will be protest votes in the February 25 elections, in response to the Supreme Court ruling

A constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), has reacted to the recent Supreme Court judgement that affirmed Senate President Ahmed Lawan as the All Progressives Congress (APC)'s senatorial candidate for Yobe North.

Ozekhome, during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today, disclosed that the court's verdict surprised him.

He said:

“That judgement, with much respect, came to me as a surprise. As a constitutional lawyer, what I am trying to do is to discuss issues dispassionately because if you discuss issues based on your likeness for one individual or a political party, by the time those individuals or political parties are no longer there, you may find yourself beclouded by that genie you let out of the bottle."

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Lawan did not win, Ozekhome said

According to the senior lawyer, when Lawan contested in the APC primaries, he did not win. Bashir Machina did not withdraw voluntarily but won the APC ticket, which, in turn, makes the court's recent verdict surprising, a Daily Trust report confirmed.

He added:

“The question is that when did APC give notice to INEC that they would be going to another primary? Did Machina himself, who was already elected, say he had withdrawn? You cannot have two Obas in one palace.”

Naira scarcity: Why Zamfara, Kaduna, Kogi took CBN to Supreme Court, see video

In another development, lawyer to Zamfara, Kogi and Kaduna states that challenged the federal government's naira redesign policy at the Supreme Court disclosed the rationale behind their action.

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Fresh twist as FG asks Supreme Court to dismiss northern states’ suit on old Naira notes deadline

The three northern states approached the Supreme Court for an interim injunction to restrict the federal government's plan to make the old N200, N500, and N1000 notes illegal after the February 10 deadline.

Speaking to journalists after the apex court granted the ex-parte order, M.I Mustapha, the counsel to the three states, noted that the reason the state governments approached the court was that the federal government's policy is anti-people.

Machina vs Lawan: Supreme Court finally decides who gets APC senatorial ticket for Yobe north

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court affirmed Senate President Ahmad Lawan as the All Progressives Congress (APC)'s candidate for the Yobe North senatorial district.

Delivering its verdict on Monday, February 6, the apex court allowed the appeal filed by the APC against Bashir Machina’s candidature.

The ruling was read by Justice Centus Nweze, who criticised Machina’s strategy in the lead judgment for bringing the lawsuit to the Federal High Court Damaturu division without providing oral evidence to support the allegations of fraud.

Source: Legit.ng