S’court rejects APC’s request to review sack of its candidates in Zamfara

The supreme court has rejected an application filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeking a review of its earlier judgement sacking the party’s candidates in the general election.

At its sitting on Monday, a five-man panel of the court dismissed the application filed by Robert Clarke, the APC counsel.

The apex court had held that the APC did not hold valid primaries in Zamfara and subsequently nullified the votes cast for the ruling party’s candidates.

But the party approached it, seeking a review of the judgement following the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificates of return issued its candidates.

The APC had won all elective positions during the general election with the exception of one. The supreme court, however, sacked its candidates on the ground that the party did not hold credible primary elections.

But Lawali Liman, state chairman of the party in Zamfara, said INEC was “too hasty” to withdraw certificates issued its candidates.

He had argued that not all of them were affected by the supreme court judgement.

“Since the matter taken to the court revolved around irregularities of primaries, we had 13 candidates for the state house of assembly, three for the senate and two for the house of representatives,” he had said.

“These were those who contested unopposed and the primaries did not affect them. INEC was too hasty to declare the party with the second highest votes because the exact directive of the supreme court was that the next party with the ‘requisite spread should be declared and by these, our issues were not taken into consideration.”