APC asks court to overrule INEC on rejection of its Zamfara candidates

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has approached the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking the court’s order to overrule the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on its decision to bar the party from participating in the 2019 general elections in Zamfara State.

The ruling party also applied for an order of perpetual injunction to restrain INEC from giving effect to the content of a letter with Reg. No. lNEC/SEC/654/1/330 and dated October 9, which foreclosed it from presenting candidates in Zamfara for failing to conduct its primaries within the stipulated time.

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, okayed the case for hearing on Friday after she joined the a governorship aspirant, Senator Garba Marafa, a senatorial aspirant. Alhaji Suraju and seven chieftains of the party as defendants in the suit.

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She also fixed December 11 to commence hearing on the matter.

The APC, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1279/2018, specifically prayed the court to declare that INEC’s letter purporting to exclude the party from presenting and submitting the list of its candidates for the forthcoming election in Zamfara state scheduled for 2019, is null, void, ultra vires and of no effect having regards to the provisions of sections 31(1) and 86(2), (3) and (4) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

“A declaration that by virtue of section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and section 31(1) of the Electoral Act (as amended), the defendant lacks the power to refuse to collect the name of the plaintiff’s candidates for Zamfara state presented and to be submitted to it not later than 60 days before the election scheduled for February 2019.”

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