Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Senator Kabiru Marafa-led faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificates of return issued to Governor Abdulaziz Yari and other candidates of the party who emerged victorious in the February 23, 2019 National Assembly elections in the state.
This was contained in a letter written to the electoral body by his counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), who drew the the INEC’s attention to the March 25, 2019 judgment of the Court of Appeal in Sokoto. In the letter, Ozekhome urged INEC to obey the judgement by withdrawing the certificates of return which it said were “erroneously issued” to the persons.
On Monday, Sokoto Division of the Court of Appeal had, set aside the earlier verdict of Zamfara High Court, which had cleared APC to field candidates in the elections in the state.
Marafa-led faction’s letter, which was addressed to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, urged him “to use your good offices to withdraw the certificates of return already erroneously given to some respondents in the appeal.
The faction stated that, by virtue of the Court of Appeal’s judgment, Yari and others were “erroneously included in the election” and, as such, were not deserving of being issued certificates of return.
While INEC had issued certificates of return to Yari and other National Assembly candidates before Monday’s judgment of the Court of Appeal, INEC later announced that, on the basis of the judgement, it would not issue same to the APC’s governorship and House of Assembly candidates in the state.