APC takes INEC to court over Zamfara ban

By Emmanuel Mogbede

Mr Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), says the party will approach the court on its ban by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from fielding candidates for elective positions in Zamfara in the 2019 general elections.

Oshiomhole stated this on Friday in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the state of affairs of the party.

He said that INEC cannot disenfranchise the people of Zamfara from participating in any of the elections in 2019.

“With all due respect, INEC cannot award a state to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or any other political party.

“It has to be the decision of the people of Zamfara or any other people in any other state that is going to participate in any of the elections.

“I believe the court will look at the law and the rules, and as far as the legal advice we have gotten is concerned, we believe we are on good grounds.

“We want to see INEC as an impartial arbiter, and I trust that they will do their very best to maintain their name as an impartial arbiter,“ Oshiomhole said.

He added that for now, the APC has confidence in INEC, even though according to him, the commission is being pressured by the PDP to do internal reorganisation.

The APC national chairman expressed optimism that the rule of law would prevail at the end of the day, adding that the party has confidence in the judiciary and would always abide by court rulings.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that INEC had on Oct. 10, said that APC was not eligible to field candidates for Governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly positions in Zamfara in the 2019 elections.

The commission in a letter signed by Okechukwu Ndeche, the acting Secretary, said APC was not qualified to field candidates because it failed to conduct primaries in Zamfara within the stipulated time-frame.

Oshiomhole while reacting to the development, had insisted that the party held primaries in Zamfara contrary to INEC position.