Statutory Delegates Including Buhari, Lawan, Others Okayed To Vote In APC Convention

Statutory delegates including President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Presidents, former vice Presidents and others have been okayed to participate in the All Progressives Congress, APC national convention.

The verdict was given on Friday by a Federal High Court sitting in Kano, Naija News understands.

The court ruled that statutory delegates are constitutionally qualified to play parts in all meetings, congresses and conventions of any registered political party in Nigeria.

Other delegates affected positively by the court’s verdicts include Governors, Deputy Governors, former Governors, former deputy Governors, Council Chairmen, serving Councilors and past Council chairman who are members of the party, as may be decided by party guidelines.

Naija News understands that Sen. Mas’ud El-Jibrin Doguwa, Hon. Habibu Sani and Hon. Bilyaminu Yusuf Shin’Kafi, (all aspirants of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) at the just concluded National Assembly primaries, had filed a suit challenging the disenfranchisement of statutory delegates from participating in the primaries.

The suit marked FHC/KN/CS/13712022, has the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; National Chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.

The plaintiffs in their originating summons dated 23rd May, 2022 and filed on the 24th May 2022, prayed the court for a declaration of the Court, “that section 84(8) cannot be interpreted to have excluded statutory delegates from voting at the convention, congress or meeting by virtue of section 223 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Article 20(iv)(c) of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Constitution, which allow Statutory Delegation to vote at
convention, congress or meeting”.

The 2nd defendant in the suit, Adamu filed a counter-affidavit in opposition to the originating summons dated 1st June 2022. However, the 1st, 3rd and 4th defendants did not file any process in the suit, Naija News understands.

Giving his verdict on the suit on Friday, 3rd June 2022, the presiding judge, Hon. Justice A.M Liman held that “Section 84(8) cannot be interpreted to have excluded statutory delegates from voting at the convention, congress or meeting, by virtue of Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Article 20(iv)(c) of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Constitution, which
allow Statutory Delegation to vote at the convention, congress or meeting.”

By implication of this judgment, all the statutory delegates of each political party as stated above shall participate in the subsequent Congresses and conventions, especially, the forthcoming national convention of the APC. Statutory delegates in this context also include ward, local government, state and national executives of the party, including past executives, as the guidelines of the party deem fit.

Those captured in the statutory delegates cadre also include, serving and past members of the National Assembly of the party; though ministers, commissioners, supervisory councillors and other political appointees are excluded in the newly signed Electoral Act.