Abuja — Winner of the Adamawa South senatorial primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmed Hassan Barata, has asked an Abuja Federal High Court to vacate the order it made stopping the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting his name.

Barata, in a motion on notice filed by his counsel, Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN), urged the court to vacate the order it granted incumbent Senator, Grace Folasade Bent, on the grounds that it was obtained by fraud and that he was the duly elected candidate of the party for the April elections.

In an affidavit in support of the motion deposed to by Barata, he averred: "I am the chairman of Shelleng Local Government Council of Adamawa and a card carrying member of the PDP.

"That I am the candidate for the Senatorial position of the PDP for Adamawa South Senatorial District.

"That my party the PDP fixed Januray 9, 2011 for the conduct of the senatorial primaries throughout the country for the purpose of electing candidates to be submitted to INEC to contest the senatorial elections.

"That at the conclusion of the primaries election in which I participated I scored a total of 738 votes being the highest number of votes; I was subsequently declared the winner."

He further averred that based on the result the PDP forwarded his name to INEC as its candidate for the Adamawa South Senatorial District.

Barata claimed that "subsequently, Senator Grace Folasade Bent who scored a total of 406 votes and came third, lodged a petition on the said primaries to the elections apeal panel for the National Assembly elections for PDP in Yola.

According to him, "upon the said petition the National Secretariat set up a three man appeal panel which after a careful study the committee came out with a resolution there is no evidence to prove her case, that she did not take the second position; so, even if the results of the primaries was cancelled the justice of the matter will not favour her".

Justice Abdul Kafarati has fixed hearing on the matter for March 9.