Politics

Zamfara 2019: APC files suit against INEC

Published

8 years ago

November 26, 2018

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in court for excluding the ruling party from participating in the 2019 governorship election. The ruling party seeks an order to allow its candidates to participate in the forthcoming general elections in Zamfara State.

National Daily gathered that APC in the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, prayed for an order of perpetual injunction to restrain INEC from giving effect to the content of a letter with Reg. No. lNEC/SEC/654/1/330 and dated October 9, 2019, which forecloses the party from presenting candidates in Zamfara for failing to conduct its primaries within the stipulated time.

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu recorded the suit for hearing last Friday. The judge was said to have joined APC governorship aspirant in Zamfara, Senator Garba Marafa, a senatorial aspirant, Alhaji Siraju, including seven other APC stakeholders as defendants in the suit. The case was fixed for December 11, 2018 for commencement of hearing.

It was indicated that APC, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1279/2018, prayed the court to declare that INEC’s letter purporting to exclude the party from presenting and submitting the list of its candidate for the 2019 governorship election in Zamfara State scheduled, is null, void, ultra vires and of no effect having regards to the provisions of sections 31(1) and 86(2), (3) and (4) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

“A declaration that by virtue of section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and section 31(1) of the Electoral Act (as amended), the defendant lacks the power to refuse to collect the name of the plaintiff’s candidates for Zamfara State presented and to be submitted to it not later than 60 days before the election scheduled for February 2019″.