* Zulum
The Supreme Court has  dismissed a suit filed by Idris Mamman-Gatumbwa challenging the nomination of Governor Babagana Zulum by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its governorship candidate for the 2019 general elections.

Justice Jonn Okoro, in a lead judgment, held that the case was statute-barred and therefore dismissed the motion on notice brought by Mr Mamma-Gatumbwa.

“This appeal is hereby dismissed haven been withdrawn by the counsel to the appellant without any objection and there shall be no order as to cost.

NAN reports that the Court of Appeal, Jos Division in March, dismissed an appeal challenging the nomination of Mr Zulum of the APC.

Mr Mamman-Gatumbwa had filed a petition before Justice U. Onyemenam-led justices of the Appellate Court, seeking to upturn the judgment of Federal High Court, which upheld Mr Zulum’s nomination.

Justice Onyemenam, while delivering judgment of the appellate court, dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit.

“The appeal filed before this appellate court by Alhaji Idris Mamman-Gatumbwa is statute-barred and of no effect, as it is lacking in merit.

“Looking at the nature of the case, the decision of the lower court is therefore upheld and the appeal is hereby dismissed for lack of merit,” Onyemenam declared.’’

The judge held that the case was filed before the lower court after the statutory 14 days stipulated by the Electoral Act.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Justice Jude Dakat of Borno Federal High Court had dismissed the petition of the appellant on the basis that it lacked merit.

Mr Dakat had, in that judgment held that the petition lacked merit on the grounds that it was filed out of the 14 days grace to challenge any discrepancy during party primaries as stipulated by the electoral act.

Counsel for the appellant, Ibrahim Bawa, had approached the appellate court to upturn the judgment of the lower court, praying it to look into the merit of the case and order the party to do the needful in accordance with the law.

He prayed the court to consider the case on its merit

Mr Bawa further stated that the lower court was wrong to declare that “we were out of the 14 days.”

He also argued that Section 87 of the Electoral Act stipulates that primaries not properly conducted should be nullified.

He had prayed the appellate court to allow the appeals.

(NAN