….PDP govs, Atiku, APC dep gov, Ozekhome, others
WITH the verdict of the Supreme Court voiding all votes scored by all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last elections in Zamfara State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) held an emergency meeting on Friday.
The commission will hold another meeting today while its decision on the Supreme Court judgement will be announced on Monday.
The apex court, on Friday, held that the APC had no valid candidates in Zamfara State in the 2019 general elections and accordingly declared all the votes accredited to the party as wasted votes.
In a unanimous judgement, the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Sokoto division of the Court of Appeal which held that the APC did not conduct valid primary elections to nominate candidates for any elective position in the state.
A five-member panel of justices of the apex court led by the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad, held that the party had no candidates and could not be declared winner of the elections.
Consequently, the court ordered that candidates of parties with the highest number of valid votes cast with the required spread stand elected in the various political offices in the state.
It was not immediately clear on Friday why INEC could not announce its readiness to abide by the decision of the nation’s apex court by issuing certificates of return to the winners as decided by the court.
Despite the apex court’s clear judgment that “the party with candidates with the second highest votes and the spread in the various elections were the valid winners” in the governorship, state and National Assembly elections in the state should be issued certificates of return, the electoral umpire, on Friday, kept the nation guessing as it declared that it would take a position on the Supreme Court judgment on Monday.
INEC, in a statement signed by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said it would make its final decision public on Monday.
The statement reads in part: “Following the Supreme Court’s judgment delivered today, 24th May, 2019 on the governorship, National and State Assembly elections held in Zamfara State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) held an emergency meeting to consider the court’s decision.
“The Supreme Court ruled that the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not hold valid party primaries as required by law. It held that all the votes scored by the APC in the said elections are wasted votes and declared that the candidates of political parties with the second highest valid votes and the requisite spread should be declared as having been elected.
“The commission will meet again tomorrow, Saturday, 25th May, 2019, to further deliberate on the issues arising from the said judgment, while the final decision on the matter will be communicated to the public on Monday, 27th May, 2019.”
At the APC national secretariat in Abuja, on Friday, its national officers held an emergency meeting of its National Working Committee (NWC) to discuss the judgment of the apex court which stripped it of its earlier “victory” in the last general elections.
The judgment of the Supreme Court principally centred on the governorship, House of Assembly and the National Assembly elections conducted in the state on February 23 and March 11, 2019.
APC candidates, including the outgoing governor of the state, Abdulaziz Yari, who was elected to the Senate, had won most of the offices contested for in the last elections with candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) placing first runners-up in the polls.
By Friday’s unanimous judgement, all candidates of the APC who won elections in the state, including its governor-elect, Alhaji Mukhtar Idris, have been sacked.
Justice Paul Galinje, who read the lead judgment of the apex court, maintained that the Sokoto division of the Court of Appeal was right when it held that the APC did not file any eligible candidates in the 2019 general elections in Zamfara State.
The court consequently dismissed all the appeals bordering on the APC crisis in Zamfara State for lacking in merit awarded a cost of N10 million against the APC.
“The appeal had no merit and it should be dismissed. It is accordingly dismissed. The party that has no candidate cannot be declared winner of the election. Therefore, all votes that are credited to such party are deemed as wasted votes. Candidates of parties with the highest number of valid votes cast with the required spread stands elected in Zamfara,” the Supreme Court held.
Meanwhile, the apex court has admonished politicians to always play the game by the rules and not to engage in acts capable of taking the country back to the Stone Age.
Justice Galinje, who gave the admonition, urged politicians to always respect the constitutions of their political parties rather than resort to self-help.
The dismissed appeal was sequel to the judgment of the Sokoto division of the Court of Appeal which set aside the judgment delivered by the Zamfara High Court allowing the APC to field candidates in the last elections.
INEC had, in October last year, said it would not allow the APC to field candidates in the state because the party failed to conduct primaries before the stipulated deadline.
However, a High Court sitting in Gusau, the state capital, ruled that the APC actually conducted primaries in the state and should be allowed to present candidates for the elections.
The judgment followed a suit marked ZMS/GS/52/2018 filed by Sanusi Liman, Dan Alhaji and 37 others against the APC and 143 others who had approached the court to compel the APC and INEC to accept the results of the party’s primaries election in the state conducted on October 7, 2018.
The party said it conducted primaries which produced the incumbent governor, Yari, as its senatorial candidate and his Commissioner for Finance, Shehu Idris, as its governorship candidate, among others.
The court, therefore, directed INEC to accept candidates from the party for the elections.
The judge, Muhammad Shinkafi, who delivered the ruling, said the APC conducted primary elections on October 3 and 7, 2018.
The court also barred the national secretariat of the APC from replacing the names of those who won the primary elections of the party.
Dissatisfied with the judgment of the state High Court, a factional chieftain of the party, Senator Kabiru Marafa, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) and 129 others had, in their appeal filed through their counsel, Mike Ozheokome (SAN), urged the Sokoto division of the Court of Appeal to set it aside.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Tom Yakubu held that the lower court failed in its duty to properly evaluate the evidence before it.
Accordingly, the court set aside the judgment of the High Court which recognised the primary election that produced the governorship, state and National Assembly candidates held by the APC in the state and ordered INEC to accept the candidates for the elections.
Not satisfied with the judgment of the Court of Appeal, the appellants led by Sanusi Liman-Dan Alhaji and 139 others filed the appeal at the Supreme Court wherein they urged the apex court to set it aside.
While the first appeal was entered against Senator Kabiru Marafa and other members of his faction, the second was filed by the APC against Senator Marafa and his factional members of the party.
Although, Senator Marafa, who won at the Court of Appeal, had equally filed a cross-appeal at the Supreme Court, same was later withdrawn by his counsel.
In his response to the judgment, Ozekhome said, “What the apex Court has done today is to deepen, widen and strengthen democracy and our democratic precepts. It shows that parties must maintain internal democracy and cannot whimsically, capriciously and arbitrarily operate outside their constitution, guidelines, the Electoral Act and the constitution.
“The Supreme Court has redefined our jurisprudence, showing that when a party damages its primaries, it can never reap the proceeds of its illegalities. That is why and how the PDP that came second has today produced the governor, all senators, all House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates today in one fell swoop. All Glory and full adoration belong to God.”
Justice has prevailed –Atiku
Former vice president and presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, commended the Supreme Court for the Friday judgement.
In a reaction to the ruling contained in a statement issued by his spokesman, Paul Ibe, in Abuja, on Friday, Abubakar praised the apex court for upholding the rule of law and doing justice by declaring the PDP the winner.
“Nothing is as pleasing to the ears of believers as justice being served in the holy month of Ramadan,” Atiku said.
He commended the justices of the court “for putting aside the interests of the powerful and upholding the interests of Nigeria and Nigerians,” saying, “God first, Nigeria second must be our priority as trustees of the people.”
The PDP standard-bearer noted that “when justice prevails, the people rejoice, chains are broken, freedom is multiplied and society is enriched.”
He expressed the hope that “the Supreme Court and our Lords Justices will let Lady Justice have full reign in other petitions that will come before them, and that good conscience, fear of God and the rule of law will prevail.
“In so doing, they will write their names for good in the sands of time and avoid the infamy that oppressors wish to thrust on them as their legacy.”
He congratulated the governor-elect, Bello Matawalle, and the people of Zamfara State, “who will finally have a government that will address the issues that have made life an ordeal in that great state. The storm is over and peace and calm are coming to Zamfara.”
PDP govs hail Mattawalle’s emergence as gov-elect
The Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum (PDPGF) has congratulated Dr Bello Mutawalle on his return as the governor-elect of Zamfara State and the victory of other PDP candidates in the state at the Supreme Court.
Chairman of the forum and governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Dickson, in a statement in Abuja on Friday, also congratulated the leaders and supporters of the party in Zamfara State for their dedication and resilience which culminated in the party’s victory at the polls.
Dickson thanked the judiciary for meeting the expectation of all well-meaning Nigerians as an impartial arbiter of justice.
He said it was reassuring and commendable for the judiciary to display such a high level of courage and professionalism, especially given the unusual times.
The chairman of the South-South Governors Forum said the ruling by the five-member panel of the Supreme Court was victory for justice and democracy in action.
He commended the party’s governorship candidate, Dr Mutawalle on his victory at the Supreme Court as the winner of the gubernatorial election in Zamfara State.
The governor commended the national chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, for his “exemplary display of leadership which has resulted in several victories for the PDP even under the prevailing circumstances.”
Zamfara dep gov hails judgement
The state deputy governor, Malam Ibrahim Wakkala, commended the Supreme Court judgement on its decision on the APC primaries in the state.
Wakkala, in a statement in Gusau, on Friday, by the Director-General to the Deputy Governor’s Office, Malam Yusuf Idris, described the judgement as a welcome development.
“This is a victory for democracy. The judgement has restored the confidence of Nigerians in the judiciary. This judgement is a triumph of truth over falsehood,” he said.
He urged the people of the state to be law-abiding while celebrating the victory.
He congratulated the PDP candidate in the election, Mutawalle, on emerging as the governor-elect as declared by the court.
Wakkala was among the APC governorship aspirants who formed the G8 group to challenge the interest of the state governor, Abdulaziz Yari, in the elections.
Musician, Kabiru Classic, emerges House of Reps member-elect
A popular musician, Alhaji Kabiru Classic, of the PDP emerged as the House of Representatives member-elect for Anka/Talata-Mafara Federal Constituency of the state following the Supreme Court judgement.
Classic contested for Anka/Talata-Mafara Federal Constituency seat and scored the second highest number of votes in the National Assembly election.
Classic described the judgement as “the work of Almighty Allah,” promising to work for the development of his constituency.
He thanked PDP members in the state for their prayers for the party and its candidates.
Wild jubilation of PDP members in the Gusau metropolis as well as headquarters of the 14 local government areas of the state followed the Supreme Court judgement.
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