Appeal Court nullifies Zamfara APC primaries for gov, assembly elections

SOKOTO, Nigeria – Court of Appeal sitting in Sokoto State this morning set aside the judgement of a Zamfara High Court on the All Progressive Congress(APC) which produced Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari.

The Appeal Court led by Justice Tom Yakubu set aside the judgement of a Zamfara High Court on the APC primary election that produced the governorship, National and State Assembly elections.

INEC had restored APC to the ballot in Zamfara based on the judgement of the Zamfara High Court

According to the commission, the decision is the result of a judgment by the Court of Appeal in Abuja which set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja for “lack or want of jurisdiction on the part of the lower court”.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has consistently maintained that it will always obey court judgments and orders”, INEC Commissioner and Chairman Voter Education, Mr. Festus Okoye said, adding, “In the case of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State, the Federal High Court, Abuja and the Zamfara State High Court issued conflicting orders relating to the participation of the APC in the two strands of elections scheduled for 23rd February and 9th March 2019.

“While the former ruled that the APC, having failed to conduct party primaries cannot field candidates in the said election, the latter decided that it can field candidates having conducted valid party primaries.

“However, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Judicial Division on 21st February 2019 set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja for ‘lack or want of jurisdiction on the part of the lower court.’ This in effect means that the Zamfara State High Court’s decision that the APC can field candidates for the National Assembly, Governorship and State Assembly elections is the only valid and subsisting order.

“Consequently, the Commission has today, in compliance with the said order, restored the APC to the ballot in the National Assembly, Governorship and State House of Assembly elections scheduled for 23rd February and 9th March 2019