The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended the issuance of Certificates of Return to winners of the March 9, governorship and House of Assembly elections in Zamfara.
This was disclosed in a notice on INEC twitter handle, @inecnigeria, posted on Tuesday. The commission said the suspension was in obedience to Monday judgment of the Court of Appeal in Sokoto, which set aside the judgment of a Zamfara High Court that allowed the APC to field candidates for the March 9 elections in Zamfara.
“INEC has been served with the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Sokoto concerning the sponsoring of candidates by the APC in Zamfara and is studying same.
“Consequently, the presentation of Certificates of Return for the Zamfara Governorship and state House of Assembly scheduled for Wednesday 27 has been suspended,” the statement read.
INEC had earlier said the APC would not contest in the state election but a Zamfara State High Court directed INEC to accept the APC’s candidates just few days to the elections.
However, the Court of Appeal sitting in Sokoto on Monday said the Zamfara State High Court failed to evaluate wholly all evidence presented before it before giving its verdict on the APC primaries in the state.
The presiding judge of the Appeal Court, Justice Shaibu Yakubu, delivering the unanimous judgment, said all evidence placed before the court had shown that the APC and others respondents did not conduct primary elections. This according to the court contravened the electoral law.
