Supreme Court ruling: INEC to decide on Zamfara by Monday

 The Independent National Electoral Commission, says it will make its decision on the Supreme Court ruling sacking all candidates of the All Progressives Congress in Zamfara state public by Monday.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, disclosed this on Friday after the commission’s emergency meeting on the ruling on Friday.

It was also revealed that the commission will meet on Saturday to deliberate on matters arising from the Supreme Court judgement on the matter.

The statement read: “Following the Supreme Court’s judgment delivered today 24th May 2019 on the Governorship, National and State Assembly elections held in Zamfara State, the INEC held an emergency meeting to consider the court’s decision.

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“The Supreme Court ruled that the APC did not hold valid party primaries as required by law. It held that all the votes scored by the APC in the said elections are wasted votes and declared that the candidates of political parties with the second highest valid votes and the requisite spread should be declared as having been elected.

“The commission will meet again tomorrow Saturday 25th May 2019 to further deliberate on the issues arising from the said judgment, while the final decision on the matter will be communicated to the public on Monday 27 May 2019,” Okoye said.

Justice Paul Galinji, delivering the lead judgment in Abuja, held that the APC and all its candidates that participated in the elections gate-crashed, having not conducted lawful primaries and that INEC was right not have recognised the participation of APC in those elections.

He also ruled that all the political parties whose candidates scored the second highest votes in the elections and the required spread, should be declared winners forthwith, stating that the APC votes were ‘wasted votes’.