Jubilation as Appeal Court clears Zamfara APC to contest polls

There was jubilation by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gusau and other towns of Zamfara State on Thursday, following an order by the Court of Appeal to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to list the party’s candidates for election in the North-West state.
The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, told INEC that the party’s governorship, National Assembly and House of Assembly candidates must be on the ballot for the February 23 and March 9 elections.
It set aside the judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which affirmed INEC’s decision to bar APC from fielding candidates in the general elections in Zamfara State.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had in a judgement on January 25, held that INEC was right to have delisted names of APC candidates presented for the elections, stating that the party failed to conduct valid primaries within the period scheduled by the electoral body.
But, a three-man panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Abdul Aboki, held that the trial court lacked the jurisdiction to have entertained the suit, that it was an abuse of court process.
Justice Aboki stressed that the suit at the Federal High Court was filed out of time, that the Electoral Act provides for 14 days to institute a suit after the cause of action had arisen.
The suit was filed 15 days after, and therefore rendered the action incompetent.