Zamfara guber: Shinkafi demands fresh polls without APC candidates

The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) Zamfara State governorship candidate, Sani, Abdulahi Shinkafi, has appealed to the Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja to nullify the March 9 governorship and state House of Assembly polls and order fresh elections without the participation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate. 

An Appeal Court sitting in Sokoto, had last week set aside the ruling of a Zamfara High Court, on the validity of the APC fielding candidates for the 2019 general election, resulting in the refusal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) withholding the certificates of return to the governor and state legislators-elect.

Relying on the ruling of the Appeal Court, Shinkafi, in his petition filed through his Counsel, Ifeanyi Mbaeri, in Abuja, prayed the election tribunal to specifically disallow the APC governorship candidate, Mukhta, Shehu Idris, from participating in the fresh poll, quoting relevant sections of the constitution to back up his petition.

According to the petition, “By virtue of Section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution as amended “a person shall be qualified for election to the office of governor of a state if inter alia: he is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party to contest the said election.

“Pursuant to Section 87(1) of Electoral Act 2010 as amended, a political party seeking to sponsor or nominate candidates for elections under this section shall hold primaries for aspirants to all elective positions.

“In other words, by the combined provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended and Electoral Act 2010 as amended, sponsorship of candidates for elective positions is only through the holding of primaries.

“I, therefore, appeal that a fresh election be ordered and the candidates of the APC for the governorship and state House of Assembly be totally disqualified,” he said.