FCT Council Election: Supreme Court Upholds Karshi’s Nomination As APC’s Candidate

The Supreme Court has upheld Mister Murtala Karshi as the validly nominated candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the Federal Capital Territory council election, slated to hold on Saturday.

In a unanimous judgement of a five-man panel, Justice Helen Ogunwumiju, who prepared the lead decision, but read by Justice Centus Nweze, held that the Court of Appeal was wrong to have upturned the judgement of the trial court which affirmed Karshi’s candidacy of the APC.

Karshi’s emergence as flagbearer of the APC was voided by the Court of Appeal following an appeal by an aspirant in the APC primaries for Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Suleiman Gwagwa.

Mr Karshi and the APC were the appellants while Mr Gwagwa and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

The Court of Appeal in Abuja had on December 3, 2021, dismissed the judgement of the FCT High Court which said that Mr Gwagwa’s suit was statute-barred.

Justice Bababangida Hassan of the FCT High Court had held that Mr Gwagwa filed his suit outside of the 14 days statutorily allowed by the Electoral Act, whenever there is a dispute in the course of an election.

The Apex court also imposed a N5 million fine on Mr Gwagwa in favour of Mr Karshi and the APC.