The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has banned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from fielding candidates for elective positions in Zamfara State for the 2019 elections.

According to the electoral body, the decision was taken as a result of the failure of the party to meet the October 7 deadline for it to elect its candidates for the 2019 polls in accordance with the Electoral Act.

Recall that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party had announced the dissolution of the Zamfara APC executive led by Alhaji Lawali M. Liman for returning Alhaji Mukhtar Shehu Idris as winner of its botched governorship primary election.

Alhaji Liman said the state government-backed Shehu Idris polled 310,380 votes to clinch the governorship ticket of the party while Senator Kabiru Marafa, a member of the G8 fighting Governor Yari came second with only 54,607 votes.

Liman, who had also insisted that he remained the state chairman of the party also declared Governor Abdulaziz Yari as the party’s senatorial candidate for Zamfara West Senatorial District having polled 166,610 votes at the primary.

However, the Major General Abubakar Mustapha Gana-led Zamfara State Electoral Committee contested the results announced by Alhaji Liman .  He said his team would submit their report to the national headquarters of the party that there was no primaries in Zamfara.

According to a letter signed by the Commission’s Acting Secretary, Okechukwu Ndeche and titled “Failure To Conduct Party Primaries in Zamfara State Within The Stipulated Time Frame” which was forwarded to the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on Tuesday, the electoral body said it was not expecting any list of candidates from the state.

 

“Please refer to the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2019 general elections released by the commission on Jan. 9, 2018. You would note that from the timetable the conduct of primaries is scheduled to take place between August 18 and October 7, 2018.

“Kindly also refer to the last schedule communicated by your party to the commission on the dates of party primaries nationwide, including Zamfara vide your letter Ref. APC/NHDQ/ INEC/19/18/51 dated 3rd Oct. 2018.

“However, report received from our office in Zamfara State shows that no primaries were conducted by your party in Zamfara, notwithstanding that our officials were fully mobilized and deployed.

“Consequently, based on the provision of Section 87 and 31 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, the Commission does not expect that your party will submit names of any candidate from Zamfara State.

“For clarity, our position is that the All Progressives Congress (APC), will not be fielding candidates for the governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly Elections in Zamfara state for the 2019 for the general elections,” the letter read.

INEC’s decision appears to have given the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who have picked a former member of the House of Representatives, Bello Matawalle as its governorship candidate the chance to govern the state for the first time since the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999.

However, reports reaching People & Power indicate that the APC is consulting its legal department before filing a reaction on the eligibility of its candidates to contest elections in Zamfara State in the 2019 election.