A Federal High Court sitting in Damaturu, Yobe State has fixed September 28 for judgement in a suit filed by the winner of the All Progressives Congress’ senatorial primary election for Yobe North, Bashir Machina.

The suit filed by Machina against the APC, Independent National Electoral Commission and the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan regards the primary election held on May 28, 2022.

Justice Fadima Aminu had reserved judgement on the tussle regarding the senatorial ticket after a heated argument between counsels to the plaintiff and the defendants.

Machina is asking the court to declare him as the authentic senatorial candidate of the APC for the 2023 election.

With the new development, his fate will be determined on Wednesday by the court.

Lawan is currently locked in battle with Machina for the ticket.

Machina emerged the winner of the primary election supervised by INEC officials. The senate president did not participate in the primary election.

At the time the exercise was held, Lawan was pursuing his presidential ambition but lost to former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu.

Rather than submit the name of the elected candidate, the name of the senate president was submitted to the commission by the ruling APC, a move that led to the deliberate omission of their names from the published particulars of candidates in late June.

To clarify the brewing controversy around the seat, INEC, on at least two occasions, said it rejected the senate president’s name because he had not been validly nominated for the senatorial seat.

The commission, however, urged the duo to resolve their issues internally or seek redress in court.

Machina, however, since filed a suit before a Federal High Court, Damaturu to challenge the APC National Working Committee’s decision.

He is contending that efforts to replace his name with Lawan’s, who did not participate in the primary of the APC, was a breach of Section 84(14) of the Electoral Act, 2022, Article 21.3 of the APC Constitution and Paragraphs 20 (c), 27 (c), (d) and (f) of the APC Guidelines for the Nomination of Candidates for the 2023 General Elections, the suit is not premature, and Section 223 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).