The Senator representing Niger South in the National Assembly, Mustapha Sani, has raised an alarm over a delay by a Federal High Court to deliver judgement on the suit seeking a return of his mandate by the All Progressives Congress, APC, Niger State.
Speaking with select newsmen in Abuja on Friday, the Senator alleged that there could be complicity on the part of the judges of the Federal High Court who kept handing off the case allegedly at the behest of the Defendants who, according to him, were bent on frustrating the judgement.
Mr Sani recalled that his ordeal began after the APC Primaries in the state when his name was substituted with another candidate even after winning the primary election in his senatorial district
According to him, somehow along the line as names of Senatorial Candidates were to be submitted to the INEC, his name was replaced with Bima Mohammed Enagi, “who did not win the primaries and was not affirmed by the National Headquarters.”
“After the primary election of the APC which held on the 2nd October, 2018 where I emerged winner of the concluded primaries in Niger South senatorial district and was issued result of the primaries signed by the chairman, secretary and the returning officer that conducted the elections, the APC National headquarters issued an affirmation to us, the three serving senators, which was signed by the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.
“Somehow along the line as names of Senatorial Candidates were to be submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, my name was replaced by Bima Mohammed Enagi who did not win the primaries and was not affirmed by the National Headquarters.
“This made it necessary for me to take the matter to the federal high court before Justice Nmandi Dimgba, where the other Defendants continue to mount pressure on Justice Nmandi Dimgba and after three months that the case was before him, he ordered that the case be transferred to Minna Federal High Court.
“The judge handed off the case and referred it back to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court who reassigned the matter to Justice Folashade Giwa who after going through the case file fixed a date for hearing of which the motion for transfer was moved.
“The substantive hearing was done and March 29, 2019 was fixed for judgment on the case which has just remaining 30 days out of 180 days.
“However, for the first time the hearing was done judgment was not given. This matter has suffered a major setback. Time is very important and we all know that justice delayed is justice denied,” Mr Sani lamented.
