Politics

APC threatens INEC

Published

5 years ago

February 2, 2019

Olu Emmanuel

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Insists on fielding candidates In Rivers, Zamfara

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has threatened the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over exclusion of the party’s candidates in Rivers and Zamfara states from the governorship and legislative elections.

APC leadership vowed that the ruling party will not only field candidates in Zamfara State but also in Rivers State where it is also awaiting the outcome of its suit in the appeal court on the ban placed by INEC in both states.

APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, in Abuja noted that the appeal court decision on the trial of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, has vindicated President Muhammadu Buhari’s handling of the matter.

“Let me add that in Kano State, PDP did not do any primaries and yet today, INEC is not saying anything regarding PDP and all the candidates submitted for PDP in Kano were accepted.

‘’This is a fact that nobody can deny but we will not go to town to start pilloring INEC, this is a very critical institution to the success of any election.

“We heard that INEC is relying on the fact that courts of equal jurisdiction have given conflicting judgements. We can understand that. What it thus means is that it is not over and then we will continue to take steps.

“We are very certain, we did the right thing. The primaries held, INEC was not satisfied with that but it is our right to field candidates and we would follow up all the legal means to ensure that our candidates stand for elections in this 2019 general elections in Zamfara, Same situation for Rivers.

“It also shows for people who are discerning to ask that question, this is supposed to be the APC that INEC is or ought to be working for? And this is what we are going through in the hands of INEC that PDP has repeatedly claimed is put in place to rig elections for APC.

“May I remind all of us that we had primaries in Zamfara, which was affected by conflicts but the process allows for three different options. You could go for indirect, which is an electoral college, you could go with direct that allows every card-carrying member of the party to vote for their chosen candidates and then thirdly, you could go by consensus.

‘’We have the right under the constitution to exhaust these options. We did so,” he declared.