The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the primary election of Murtala Karshi as the validly nominated candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the forthcoming Federal Capital Territory council polls.Mr Karshi’s emergence as the flagbearer of the APC was voided by the Court of Appeal following an appeal lodged by Suleiman Gwagwa – an aspirant in the APC primaries for Abuja Municipal Area Council .
Bababangida Hassan, a judge of the FCT High Court, had held the Mr Gwagwa filed his suit outside of the 14 days statutorily allowed by the Electoral Act, whenever there is a dispute in the course of an election.In the judgement, which was read by Centus Nweze, the Supreme Court upheld Mr Karshi’s candidacy for the Saturday council elections in the FCT.
Mr Gwagwa had filed a suit at the FCT High Court challenging the outcome of the APC primaries for the AMAC Chairmanship position.Mr Hassan, the presiding judge, held that Mr Gwagwa, who had filed his suit 16 days upon when the 3rd respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission , received a letter dated May 25, 2021 on May 28, 2021, which substituted his name with the 1st respondent, Murtala Karshi, failed to meet the 14 days required by law, within which to seek redress.
The appellate court held that that Mr Gwagwa won the Abuja Municipal Area Council All Progressives Congress Chairmanship candidacy for the 2022 AMAC council election.