Justice Muhammed Muhammed of the Niger State High Court 4 declared Yusuf Aminu Ladan to be the legitimate All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Chanchaga local government area in the just-concluded council elections in the state. Dr Mustapha Jibrin Alheri took the oath as the local government’s newly-elected chairman one hour before the ruling.
After the APC council primary election in October, Ladan went to court, claiming that another candidate had unlawfully substituted his name.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Mohammed Muhammed ruled that Alheri did not vote in the primary election and that the APC had illegally submitted his name to the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission.
According to the evidence presented before the court, Justice Mohammed also concluded that Alheri was a participant in the primary election that resulted in Ladan’s selection as the APC consensus candidate for the council.
The judge ruled that Ladan should be given a certificate of return and that Alheri’s should be revoked.
Furthermore, the judge mandated that Ladan be sworn in as the chairman of the Chanchaga Council by the State Executive Council (SEC).
The decision was made shortly after the SEC had sworn in the 25 newly elected council chairs, among them Alheri.