We’ll wait for Supreme Court’s pronouncement on Zamfara APC —INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission has said that it
will wait for the pronouncement of the Supreme Court before taking
any decision on the primary elections of the All Progressives
Congress in Zamfara State.

The commission had withheld certificates of return of the state
Governor-elect, Alhaji Mukhtar Shehu, following the judgment of the
Court of Appeal in Sokoto.

But the APC and the governor-elect, in a letter to the
commission last week, said the Court of Appeal did not nullify
their primary elections.

INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and
Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, on Monday in Abuja, said
the commission was law-abiding.

He said, “The Independent National Electoral Commission is a
law-abiding institution. It is the policy of the commission to obey
court orders and court decisions.

“The commission took the decision to exclude the candidates of
the All Progressives Congress from the list of nominated candidates
on the grounds that the party did not conduct primary
elections.

“The party has taken the matter to the Supreme Court and it is
only rational and prudent to wait for the decision of the Supreme
Court before proceeding. The commission took a cautionary approach
in suspending further issuance of certificates of return to the
members-elect of the state assembly, the deputy governor-elect and
the governor-elect. The commission will abide by the decision of
the Supreme Court on the matter.”

He added, “The commission does not have any interest in who
becomes the governor of Zamfara State but is only interested in the
processes and procedures leading to the declaration of results and
issuance of certificates of return.

“We are confident that the Supreme Court will conclude the
hearing of the matter and deliver its judgment before the
inuguration of elected members of the national and state
assemblies.

“We believe that the people of Zamfara State deserve to know who
their governor and representatives are before the terminal date of
this regime.

The commission receives dozens of letters daily. The commission
replies letters it receives but takes decisions based on the orders
and judgments of courts.

“The commission studies the judgments and takes its decisions
based on the judgements and orders and not based on the opinions
and decisions of lawyers.”

Meanwhile, the state Governor and senator-elect, Abdulaziz Yari,
led other federal lawmakers-elect from the state to an induction
course in Abuja on Monday.

When contacted, one of the newly elected members of the House of
Representatives, who preferred anonymity, told one of our
correspondents that nobody had told him anything about withdrawing
his certificate of return.

“I have been following the drama playing out in our party from
the pre-primaries to our victory at the polls, and nobody has
notified me that my election had been voided that will necessitate
the withdrawal of my certificate of return,” he stated.