Just one week after the Supreme Court declared him the authentic candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Joshua Ishaku has matched to victory in the Bwari Area Council chairmanship election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially announced Ishaku as winner in the early hours of Sunday, sealing a fastinating journey from legal uncertainty to electoral triumph.
Returning Officer Mohammed Nurudeen declared that the APC flagbearer polled 18,466 votes to clinch the seat.
His closest challengers trailed far behind.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate secured 4,254 votes, while the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) candidate managed 3,515 votes.
The election was conducted across 10 wards — Igu, Shere, Dutse, Ushafa, Byazhin, Kuduru, Kubwa, Usuma, Bwari Central and Kawu.
On February 16, the Supreme Court nullified the majority judgment of the Court of Appeal that had recognised Haruna Audi as the APC candidate. The appellate court had earlier upheld a Federal High Court decision dismissing Ishaku’s suit as statute-barred.
In a decisive twist, the apex court upheld the dissenting judgment of Justice Okon Abang, declaring Ishaku the rightful APC candidate and ordering INEC to publish his name.
That ruling changed everything.
