In a stunning development, Justice Mohammed Yunusa of the Federal High Court in Kano has nullified the candidature of Dr. Alex Otti, the Abia State Governor-elect, as well as the candidatures of all Labour Party candidates in Abia and Kano States. The court’s ruling states that their emergence did not comply with the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act.

A copy of the judgment, delivered by the court, was made available to reporters on Friday. The case, filed by Mr. Ibrahim Haruna Ibrahim against the Labour Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), led to the court’s ruling. The judge stated that the failure of the Labour Party to submit its membership register to INEC within 30 days before their primaries rendered the entire process invalid.

The court further ruled that a political party that has not complied with the provisions of the electoral act cannot be considered to have a valid candidate in an election, and thus, cannot be declared the winner. Consequently, the votes credited to Alex Otti and the Labour Party candidates were deemed as wasted votes.

This ruling has sparked significant repercussions in the political landscape of Abia and Kano States. It not only nullifies the legitimacy of Dr. Alex Otti’s candidature but also casts doubt on the entire Labour Party’s participation in the recent elections.