The Yobe State Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 elections, Ambassador Umar Damagum, has distanced himself from the court suit instituted against Governor Mai Mala Buni by the PDP.
Damagum denied any knowledge of the suit in which the PDP asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to remove Buni as the governor of Yobe State in a statement on Friday.
According to him, those behind the suit may be some aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that were unhappy with the outcome of the party’s ward congress and some PDP faithful who were not happy with the success of the party’s state congress in April.
“I am not aware of such suit, I did not brief any lawyer to institute any case on my behalf,” said the PDP chieftain. “I did not authorise anyone to approach the court on my behalf. My name was fraudulently used as a co-plaintiff without my consent and authority.”
In a four-page originating summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/885/2021 and filed on Thursday, the main opposition party through its lawyer, Emeka Etiaba, asked the court to make Governor Buni appear before it to defend whether or not he ceased to be governor by accepting to be the APC Caretaker Committee Chairman.
It insisted that Governor Buni has breached the provision of Section 183 of the Constitution when as a governor, he also serves as the ruling party’s caretaker chairman.
The PDP was listed as the first plaintiff in the suit while Damagum and his running mate in the election, Baba Abba Aji, were the second and third plaintiffs.
On the other hand, Governor Buni, his deputy, Idi Barde Gubana, the APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were the defendants.
In his reaction, the APC spokesperson James Akpanudoedehe condemned the action of the main opposition party, saying it was executing desperate and poorly scripted propaganda.
