Daily Advent Nigeria

EXPLAINED: What Gave PDP An Edge In Zamfara Despite Ruling Party’s ‘Federal Might’ 

EXPLAINED: What Gave PDP An Edge In Zamfara Despite Ruling Party’s ‘Federal Might’ 

In less than one week, the ruling party APC, has lost its bid to rule another part of the country, Zamfara, of which the incumbent Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, is a member of the ruling party, and has failed to bring back a successor.

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In this light, The Supreme Court has nullified the participation of the All Progressives Congress and declared the party with the second highest votes as winner in the Zamfara State general elections.

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ATIKU ABUBAKAR WAVE

You may recall that it was reported by this news platform that,The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday pointed out why he asked the President of the Court of Appeal, Zainab Bulkachuwa, to withdraw from the presidential election petition tribunal.

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Bulkachuwa, voluntarily withdrew from participating in the hearing of the case shortly after the unanimous decision of the panel dismissing the application filed by the petitioner.

The ruling was delivered by a member of the panel, Justice Peter Ige.

She said that she took the decision for personal reasons and to avoid a situation where another female Justice will  face same issues presented to the court.

 

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In a related development, The Apex court heard two election appeals seeking to ascertain the authentic candidates of the APC in Zamfara State in the last general elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the APC and Malam Sanusi Dan-Alhaji had instituted the case on the primary election conducted by the party for the nomination of candidates to participate in the last general election.

Chief Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, Counsel for Dan-Alhaji, while adopting his address, prayed the apex court to restore the February 13 judgment of the Zamfara State High Court, which allowed APC to field candidates in the general election.

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Fagbemi submitted that the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division, which disqualified APC from nominating candidates for the election on the grounds that the party did not conduct lawful primary should be set aside.

He further argued that the lower court erred in law, adding that the decision was a miscarriage of justice.

Fagbemi said the APC had shown proof it conducted a free and fair primary to elect the candidates that contested the governorship election, the National Assembly and the House of Assembly elections respectively.

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However, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Counsel for Senator Kabiru Marafa and 142 others, all of the APC, urged the appellate court to dismiss the appeal and affirm the judgment of the Appeal Court.

Ozekhome submitted that the judgment was a copious description of how the APC in Zamfara State failed to conduct primary election in accordance with the Electoral Act, party guideline and the 1999 Constitution.

He said the process failed both legal and integrity tests, adding that the exercise was not conducted to produce candidates for the last general election as his clients were fenced out.

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Tanimu Inuwa (SAN), Counsel for Independent National Electoral Commission, aligned himself with the argument canvassed by Ozekhome.

He further explained that the electoral body did not supervise any primary conducted by the party as mandated by law.

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Inuwa argued that the Court of Appeal in Sokoto was right to have stopped the APC from fielding candidates in the 2019 general election in Zamfara State.

Inuwa, therefore, urged the appellate court to dismiss the appeal for lacking in merit.

 

Source: The Eagle