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A Federal High
Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)
and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise
Grace Bent (PDP Adamawa State) and two other senators as the senatorial
candidates for their respective senatorial zones.

The court ordered
both PDP and INEC to delist Ahmed Hassan Barata from the list of
candidates and substitute it with that of the incumbent, Mrs Bent,
pending the determination of a suit filed by the incumbent.

Mr Barata, former
member of the House of Representatives was declared winner of the PDP
Adamawa south senatorial zone’s primaries and his name was subsequently
forwarded to INEC as the winner.

Mrs Bent went to
court on February 7, asking the court to order her recognition based on
alleged gross malpractice in the primary elections.

The court, headed
by Abdu Kafarati, ruled in her favour and two other incumbent senators:
Mohammed Mana (PDP Adamawa State) and Abubakar Umar Gada (PDP Sokoto
State).

The court asked
both INEC and PDP to withdraw Bindowo Jibrilla and Ibrahim Abdullahi
Gobir as senatorial candidates in the April polls and substitute them
with Mr Mana (PDP Adamawa State) and Mr Gada (PDP Sokoto State)
respectively.

Ready for appeal

The two other
senators had sued, separately, seeking for an interlocutory injunction
restraining the PDP and INEC from enlisting names other than themselves
as candidates of the party for their respective senatorial zones.

The court granted their injunctions and ruled in the same manner
restraining both INEC and PDP from recognising any candidates other
than the applicants while striking out the first respondents. The court
also granted the appeal for accelerated hearing and fixed February 21
for hearing of originating summons from the three senators.