Fresh crises have again engulfed Zamfara State All Progressives Congress party following the announcement by the state Governor, Alhaji Abdul Aziz Yari Abubakar, that the Independent National Electoral Commission has accepted the list of candidates to contest in the forthcoming general elections from the state.
The Governor, who briefed journalists on the fate of APC candidates from Zamfara at the Government House in Gusau last Friday stated that, ” both INEC and the national headquarters of the party have accepted the list of candidates from Zamfara State who would contest in the forthcoming general elections.
“Gentlemen of the press, as you are aware, after the agreements and disagreements between our party ,APC, and INEC, where INEC made pronouncement that Zamfara chapter of APC did not conduct primary elections, we challenged the statement not by writing letter to INEC but by going to court because our understanding is that only court could resolve the issue.
” We filed a case at the Federal High Court here in Gusau on October 9, 2018 while other executives of the party and other candidates went to court earlier and filed theirs on same month of October 2018. When we realised that we had two cases going concurrently with the same prayers, we didn’t want to be charged with abuse of process, as such, we quickly withdrew the one case filed on the 9th because it was the one that was filed late,” he explained.
Governor Yari maintained that after some sittings, the Judge at the State High Court withdrew from continuation of the case and another judge was quickly appointed to continue with the suit, saying “As God so have it, after producing and reproducing the evidences and witnesses by the dependents and the plaintiffs as well, the court had finally passed the judgement in our favour where the court upheld that there was primary elections in Zamfara State on the 3rd and 7th of October last year respectively”.
According to the Governor, the judge gave an order that dependent one and three (that is APC and INEC) should ensure that they accepted the list of the party and should also ensure that they published the names of the candidates as the ones to contest for the forthcoming general elections.
He stressed that the order was served to the APC national headquarters as well as to the INEC, adding that the APC national headquarters has already complied with the court’s order where it had called all the contestants and gave them the forms for the contests to fill and the party has also forwarded the same to the INEC.
“As I am talking to you now, the list is before the INEC and from the information we heard, the INEC has accepted the it,” said Yari.
The Governor said that they were waiting for the reactions of those who were not satisfied with the court’s verdict and wishing go to upper court to challenge the judgement, stressing that, ” we are ready to join them.”
As God will have it, after producing and reproducing the evidences and witnesses by the dependents and the plaintiffs as well, the court had finally passed the judgement in our favour where the court upheld that there was primary elections in Zamfara State
He explained that up to this time, there was no any order from any court directing or instructing the state APC candidates not to participate in the forthcoming general elections concluding that “we will soon draw our action plans on how to carry out our campaigns”.
” You will be hearing lots of rumors from some mischievous personas who want to use the opportunity to cause confusion. But I assure you that all our candidates have been cleared by INEC and we will soon draw our action plans to start campaigns,” he concluded.
In a swift reaction however, a Senator representing Zamfara central senatorial zone, Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa, outrightly kicked against Governor Yari’s pronouncement, saying ” should INEC clear Zamfara State APC candidates, I will be left with no option than to defect to another party”.
Senator Marafa, who is the leader of G8, maintained that, since APC was not a religious body, he would decamp to another party and challenge the APC candidates in the forthcoming general elections.
He said, “lf the INEC has accepted the list of candidates from my state while it has already made it clear that Zamfara would not participate in the 2019 elections, I will surely leave APC, because it is not a religious obligation that I must remain in the party.” He further explained that, he would go for suitable candidates of his choice instead of those from APC.
Senator Marafa also called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to come to the state for his presidential campaign slated to hold last Sunday (yesterday) .
“I am appealing to Mr President to postpone his visit to Zamfara because of this unhealthy development. Let him not come because his presence will further aggravate the current political uncertainty of the state,” Marafa said.
He stressed that there was no way he would join President Buhari during the campaign visit, adding that, If the President has decided to be in the state on Sunday as scheduled, he would surely not be in attendance. Marafa however stated that, he would arrange another day to organise a campaign rally for Mr President and requested Buhari to either be in attendance or send a representative to see the crowd on that day.
As a result of this lingering crisis, the President visit has been postponed to Sunday Feb.10, while impeccable source revealed that, the President might not visit the state.
However, speaking to The Point, the state APC publicity secretary, Alhaji Shehu Isa Braden Gusau, said the postponement was made by the Presidential campaign team aimed at giving the President more time to rest.
Shehu Isa said the President would be in the state on Feb.10th as against Feb.3rd, while his visit to his home state, Katsina, has also been shifted to Feb.11th as against Sunday, Feb. 3rd, stressing that it has nothing to do with Senator Marafa’s appeal.
He maintained that, the state APC would commence it’s campaigns beginning from Saturday, Feb. 2nd to canvass for support for all of its candidates in all the positions, calling on the people of the State to give them their support and cooperation.
Meanwhile, political activities have returned to normal, following the clearance of APC candidates for the forthcoming general elections. The state was almost at a standstill due to non presence of APC candidates in the political arena.
Immediately after the pronouncement by Governor Yari that, INEC has accepted the list of candidates from Zamfara, political gladiators have been warming up for the general elections, while the people of the state are now happy as socioeconomic activities have returned to
normal.
