The Independent National Electoral Commission has reaffirmed Bashir Sheriff Machina as the authentic candidate of Yobe Zone C Senatorial District for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Machina and the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, had been at loggerhead over the senatorial seat, after Lawan lost the APC Presidential primary to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Lawan had been allegedly listed as the candidate of the APC for Yobe North senatorial election slated for February 2023, with reports that a primary had been held clandestinely to produce Lawan as candidate.
Also, no records of Lawan’s participation in the APC senatorial primaries were presented by the APC, although the APC chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, disclosed that the aspirant took part in the elections.
However, Lawan, who currently represents Yobe north district, was eventually listed as the APC senatorial candidate for the 2023 general election, leaving Machina who actually won the elections out of the picture.
But Machina, according to a certified true copy of INEC’s report from May 28, 2022, won the election with 289 votes out of 300 delegates.
The Commission, on June 23, 2022, certified the document and did not mention Ahmad Lawan, the Senate President who has been jostling to return to the Senate on the APC ticket.
