The federal high court sitting in Kano has nullified the candidature of Abia Governor-elect, Dr Alex Otti, along with all the candidates of the Labour Party in Abia and Kano States. The ruling was made by Justice M N Yunusa in response to a lawsuit filed by Mr Ibrahim Haruna Ibrahim against the Labour Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Justice Yunusa stated that their emergence as candidates did not comply with the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act. He pointed out that the Labour Party failed to submit its membership register to the INEC within the stipulated 30-day period before their primaries, rendering the entire process invalid. Consequently, according to Justice Yunusa, a party that does not adhere to the electoral act cannot have a valid candidate or be declared the winner of an election. He characterized the votes credited to the Labour Party's candidate as wasted votes.
