The Yola Division of the Court of Appeal has cleared Senator Ishaku Elisha Abbo, who currently represents Adamawa North in the National Assembly, to participate in tomorrow’s National Assembly election as candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The appellate court’s verdict nullified the judgment of the State High Court, which upheld his expulsion from the ruling party, as earlier announced by the party’s leadership in his home Mubi North Local Government Area.
Recall that the lower court had ruled on the ground that Abbo had been expelled by the local council executives of his party, hence ceased to have access to the party’s ticket for the February 25 poll.
But in his judgment on Thursday, Justice Isaiah Olufemi Akeju of the Court of Appeal invalidated the lower court’s verdict and vacated all its orders against Abbo.
The court said the trial court had no jurisdiction to entertain the matter, affirming that Abbo is a card-carrying member of the APC and is entitled to seek re-election into the Senate through his party’s ticket.
It awarded N500,000 as cost against the respondents to the senator.