A Yola High Court presided over by Justice Mohammed Danladi, on Tuesday, prevented Senator Elisha Ishaku Abbo, from contesting the Adamawa North senatorial seat in this year’s election.
He was sacked on the grounds that he was expelled from the party by his ward in Mubi North local government area of Adamawa.
Justice Danladi held that the senator and APC are bound by the resolution of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mubi North Local government chapter’s executive, expelling him from the party on the 7th of October 2022.
The court also averred that Senator Abbo is not entitled to enjoy any right or privilege accorded to APC members.
Recall that the Mubi North LG executive of the party had on the 7th of October 2022, approved the expulsion of the senator as recommended by the party’s disciplinary committee.
The court further restrained APC, under which the senator is seeking re-election, from recognising him as its candidate, saying that he cannot validly be the candidate of the party in the forthcoming general election.
The ruling also restrained Sen. Abbo from parading himself as the candidate of the party in the Northern Senatorial District in the forthcoming general election.
Justice Danladi held that the plaintiff’s counsel has proved beyond doubt and that the court is satisfied with the procedure followed by the party, saying that the senator was accorded the opportunity to defend himself but deliberately refused to do so.
He said that the action of the plaintiffs in suing the senator is not an internal affair of the party as claimed; and that they have locus standi to institute the action against him since they are registered members of the party.
It would be recalled that two APC members, Abdullahi Suleiman and Yusha’u Usman of Kolere and Sabon Layi Wards, Mubi North LGA, respectively, sued the senator and sought for an interpretation regarding his status in APC.
In his reaction, counsel to the plaintiffs, Abubakar Ali Esq, appreciated the court, saying that the judgement will serve as a deterrent to erring members of the party who claim to be above the party.
The counsel to the defendant, E. O. Odo, said that he will inform his client about the judgment of the court, saying if he agrees, they will challenge the judgement at the Court of Appeal.
Senator Elisha Abbo entered the hall of infamy in 2019, after he was caught on tape slapping a female attendant during an argument in a sex toy shop in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
In recent times, Abbo, who is one of Nigeria’s youngest senators, has publicly opposed the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of his party, APC.