The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended the issuance of Certificates of Return to all candidates elected under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State during the last general elections.

The suspension followed Monday’s ruling of the Sokoto Division of the Court of Appeal which set aside the Zamfara High Court judgment, on whose strength the APC fielded candidates for the 2019 governorship, National Assembly and House of Assembly elections.

Delivering the judgment, the presiding judge, Justice Tom Shuaibu Yakubu said the lower court did not properly evaluate and assess all the evidence put before it before declaring its verdict.

The three-member panel of judges led by Justice Yakubu said a critical re-evaluation and re-assessment of the evidence by the appellant court revealed that the APC did not follow the provision of the Electoral Act, 2010 as amended and the guidelines provided by the party in selecting its candidates.

The judge further held that the party had made two unsuccessful attempts to conduct primaries in the state and lists of candidates were not duly submitted to INEC by the national headquarters of the party.

Acknowledging receipt of the Appeal Court ruling, the Director Information and Voter  Education, Oluwale Osaze-Uzzi said that although the Commission would study the judgment, it has in the interim, decided to withhold issuance of certificates of return to the newly-elected governor and House of Assembly members-elect.

“INEC has been served with the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Sokoto concerning sponsoring of candidates by the APC in Zamfara and is studying same.

“Consequently, the presentation of certificates of return to the Zamfara governor-elect and House of Assembly members-elect, scheduled for Wednesday, March 27 2019 has been suspended,” Osaze-Uzzi said.