Some supporters of Senate President Ahmad Lawan disrupted and stoned Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State at an event organised to celebrate the ruling of the Supreme Court which named Lawan as the authentic senatorial candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for Yobe North in the National Assembly election.
The event, which was attended by hundreds of supporters of the party, doubled as the APC’s zonal campaign rally for the Yobe North district.
However, as soon as Governor Buni stood up to deliver his speech, the angry supporters, who loudly cheered Lawan who spoke before the governor, began to chant slogans of rejection; ‘bwamayi bwamayi bwamaso” – meaning “we don’t want you”.
The visibly angry supporters subsequently started throwing objects at the governor and other guests at the poduim, forcing the rally to an abrupt end after the governor was whisked away by security operatives.
According to Premium Times, Lawan’s supporters attacked the governor because it was believed that he backed Lawan’s opponent, Bashir Machina, who was the APC candidate until the Supreme Court’s ruling
Recall that the supreme court had last Monday declared the declared the Senate President as the senatorial candidate of the APC for Yobe north.
APC had filed a suit against the candidature of Bashir Machina before the apex court.
APC claimed that Lawan was the authentic Senatorial candidate for Yobe North in the 2023 election.
The counsel for the party, Sepiribo Peters at the last hearing argued that the primary election held on 28 May last year which produced Machina was in breach of the Electoral Act 2022.
Peters contended that one Danjuma Manga who conducted the primary election which produced Machina was not nominated by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.
However, Machina’s lawyer, Sarafa Yusuf prayed to the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal for lacking in merit on the ground that the Senate President did not challenge the suits at both the trial and lower courts.
He also pointed out that Manga who conducted the primary election where Machina emerged, was a member of the NWC-appointed Committee to carry out the exercise.
Justice Centus Nweze, however, in a judgement on Monday faulted the approach of Machina in commencing the suit at the Federal High Court Damaturu division by way of originating summons and without oral evidence to prove allegations of fraud.
