The Supreme Court on Friday held that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State did not have any valid candidates in all the 2019 general elections held in the state.

In a unanimous judgment which was delivered by a five-man panel of justices led by the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, the apex court held that the APC did not conduct valid primary elections to nominate candidates for any elective position in the state.

The Court maintained that the Sokoto Division of the Court of Appeal was right when it held that the ruling party did not field any eligible candidate in the 2019 general elections in Zamfara.

In its  verdict which was prepared and delivered by Justice Paul Galinje, the Court dismissed an earlier appeal that the APC had lodged to challenge the appellate court’s judgment and consequently awarded a cost of ₦10 million against the APC.

“I find that the lower court was right in holding that there were no primary elections in Zamfara State. The appeal had no merit and it should be dismissed. It is accordingly dismissed.

“The party that has no candidate cannot be declared a 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 stand elected in Zamfara”, the Court held.

By this unanimous and landmark judgment, all candidates of the APC who won elections in Zamfara State, including its governor-elect, Alhaji Mukhtar Idris have been sacked just a matter of days to their inauguration.