Yusuf Aminu Ladan was ruled to be the legal All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Chanchaga local government area in the recently completed council elections in the state by Justice Muhammed Muhammed of the Niger State High Court 4. One hour prior to the decision, Dr. Mustapha Jibrin Alheri took the oath in his capacity as the newly elected chairman of the local government.
Ladan filed a lawsuit after the APC council primary election in October, alleging that another candidate had wrongfully used his name in place of another's.
Justice Mohammed Muhammed reached this conclusion after hearing arguments from both sides: Alheri did not cast a ballot in the primary election, and the APC had improperly submitted his name to the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission.
According to the evidence presented before the court, Justice Mohammed also concluded that Alheri was a participant in the primary election that resulted in Ladan’s selection as the APC consensus candidate for the council.
The judge ruled that Ladan should be given a certificate of return and that Alheri’s should be revoked.
Furthermore, the judge mandated that Ladan be sworn in as the chairman of the Chanchaga Council by the State Executive Council (SEC).
The decision was made shortly after the SEC had sworn in the 25 newly elected council chairs, among them Alheri.