Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is set to challenge the declaration of Bello Matawalle of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the March 9 Governorship Elections in Zamfara State.

Meanwhile, the party and its candidate Sani Abdulahi Shinkafi has withdrawn the petition challenging the declaration of Mukhtar Shehu Idris and his party the All Progressives Congress (APC) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the gubernatorial elections in the state.

Counsel to Shinkafi and APGA Ifeanyi Mbaeri, who disclosed this in Abuja, said the legal team is considering the possibilities of challenging the  declaration by the electoral commission of the PDP and its governorship candidate Bello Matawalle as the Governor of Zamfara

The party said Matawalle was not qualified to have contested any elections, having not met the basic requirements of the law.

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According to Mbaeri, “We have withdrawn the petition filed by Dr Sani Abdulahi Shinkafi and APGA, wherein we had challenged the declaration of the APC and its candidate Idris as the winners of the March 9th, 2019 governorship election in Zamfara State.”

Mbaeri pointed out that “his clients Shinkafi and APGA may likely challenge the declaration of Matawalle as the Governor of Zamfara State. We are looking at the possibility of filling a petition at the Election Tribunal to challenge the decision of INEC to declare the PDP candidate as the Governor of Zamfara State.

“The statutory 21 days for the filling of election petition is still subsisting; so APGA and its candidate are looking at the possibility of filling a petition to challenge the decalaration of Matawalle and his party the PDP as the winners of the March 9th governorship elections in Zamfara State in line with Section 143 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended and Section 177 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.”

Mbaeri stated that the provisions of the Electoral Act and Constitution cited provides for a basic qualification for any person that wants to stand for an election in Nigeria and “it is our contention that the PDP candidate Matawalle is not qualified, having not obtained the requisite qualification which is school certificate or its equivalent.”