Supreme court adjourns hearing of Yari’s application till March 17

The supreme court has adjourned the hearing of an application filed by a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by Abdullaziz Yari, former governor of Zamfara, till March 17.

Yari is asking the apex court to review its judgement nullifying the victory of his faction of the APC in Zamfara in the 2019 elections.

While Yari was declared winner of the Zamfara west seat at the senate, Mukhtar Idris, a former finance commissioner, was declared winner of the governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

But another faction of the APC led by Kabir Marafa, a former senator, challenged the victory of Yari’s faction in court.

Marafa’s faction argued that the APC in Zamfara did not hold primary elections so the candidates fielded in the general election were illegal.

The apex court agreed with the argument and voided the votes the APC secured at the polls.

This development paved the way for Bello Matawalle of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to be sworn in as governor of the state.

At the court on Monday, the seven-man panel of justices led by Ibrahim Muhammad, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), pointed out to Robert Clarke, counsel to the Yari faction, that the 141st to the 178th respondents do not have representation in court and have not been served.

Responding, Clarke said: “I will quickly rectify this my lord. I am in a dilemma. I will not mind an earlier date than Tuesday.”

On his part, Mike Ozekhome, counsel to Marafa’s faction, said they attempted to serve processes on the lawyers of the 141st to the 178th respondents but they did not accept it.

The CJN then adjourned the matter till March 17.