INEC complies with Appeal Court order on Zamfara, lists APC on ballot paper

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Friday said it had complied with the judgement of Appeal Court and listed the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara on the ballot in the National Assembly, Governorship and State House of Assembly elections scheduled for 23rd February and 9th March.

The commission in a statement signed by its National Commissioner, Mr. Festus Okoye, said it had consistently maintained that it would always obey court judgments and orders.

The Court of Appeal, Abuja Judicial Division, had on Thursday set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja for “lack or want of jurisdiction on the part of the lower court.”

Okoye stressed that this in effect means that the Zamfara State High Court‘s decision that the APC can field candidates for the National Assembly, Governorship and State Assembly elections was the only valid and subsisting order.

He added that the case of APC in Zamfara State, the Federal High Court Abuja and the Zamfara State High Court issued conflicting orders relating to the participation of the APC in the two elections scheduled for 23rd February and 9th March.

Okoye said while the former ruled that the APC, having failed to conduct party primaries cannot field candidates in the said election, the latter decided that it can field candidates having conducted valid party primaries.

According to Okoye “Consequently, the Commission has today, in compliance with the said order, restored the APC to the ballot in the National Assembly, Governorship and State House of Assembly elections scheduled for 23rd February and 9th March 2019.”