Emmanuel OchayiSalisu Majigiri, the triumphant candidate in the Mashi/Dutsi Federal Constituency of Katsina State, was greeted with enthusiastic cheers by local residents and supporters on Sunday, following his victory at the Supreme Court.
It would be recalled that in February 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Majigiri as winner of the Mashi/Dutsi Federal Constituency election in Katsina State.
The apex court upheld Salisu Majigiri’s status as the legitimate winner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election held for the Mashi/Dutsi Federal Constituency in Katsina State.
This significant win for Majigiri comes nearly nine months since he got enmeshed in a legal tussle initiated by dissenting PDP members within the state. Their legal challenge was rooted in allegations that he had disregarded ethical and established protocols during his campaign for the seat, casting a shadow over his initial victory in the primary held in June of the previous 2022.
Just 72 subsequent to the court’s decisive pronouncement, denizens of the Mashi/Dutsi Federal Constituency, accompanied by a throng of supporters spanning a distance of two kilometers, extended a warm and exultant welcome to Hon. Majigiri.
Taking advantage of the fervor of the moment, Majigiri seized the opportunity to pledge enhanced representation to his constituents. He said the people want him and truly voted for him. “So, that’s why you can see this crowd, more than two kilometres waiting to receive me, to celebrate, to thank God Almighty who gave me this victory and in fact the Federal Constituency of Mashi Dutsi in Katsina State.
“The history of the court case started from the Federal High Court in Katsina to the Court of Appeal, Kaduna and terminated at the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“In the Federal High Court, this case was supposed to be a statute-barred case; it was filed out of time.
“My primary election was held on the 2nd of July 2022, and by the provision of the Constitution, Section 285, if you are aggrieved, you are to go to court within two weeks, but the contender didn’t file his case, didn’t go to court until 22nd of November 2022.
“That means four months and a half after the primary election. So, when we went to the Federal High Court, the court refused to agree with our point that this is unconstitutional, it violated Section 285 of the Constitution and gave judgment against us.
“We then proceeded to the Court of Appeal, Kaduna in which they affirmed the same, even though they resolved issue four in our favour that the Federal High Court doesn’t have the powers to issue consequential order of my certificate of return as the duly elected member house of reps representing Mashi Dutsi Federal Constituency.
“In fact, after that, they affirmed their judgment as I said which is 50-50.
“In the end, I appealed to the Supreme Court of Nigeria in which the Supreme Court panel sat on the 10th of August 2023 under the leadership of the Chief Justice of Nigeria who presided over the panel and delivered a sound judgement that the matter was already a statue bar and I should be issued with a new certificate of return and the one issued before should be immediately withdrawn.
“This is the judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and we thank God Almighty who gives power to whom he wishes and retrieves power from whom he wishes too.
“Residents of Mashi and Dutsi Federal Constituency should expect better representation ever in the history of the Mashi Dutsi Constituency by the special grace of God. May Allah guide me, guide the leadership so that we can deliver as expected by the people.
“See the crowd, people have high hope in me to give them good representation.
“There are so many areas that can be touched but I am sure, with good representation, every part will be touched accordingly and that will be in priority,” Majigiri noted.
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