The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday announced that it had complied with the court order and restored the Zamfara chapter of the All Progressives Congress to the ballot in the national assembly, governorship and state house of assembly elections scheduled for February 23 and March 9, 2019.
In a tweet on Friday, via its verified Twitter handle, @inecnigeria, the commission said: “INEC Complies With Court Order, APC To Participate In Governorship, National and State Assembly Elections#NigeriaDecides2019 pic.twitter.com/FDDfKuOQM0
— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) February 22, 2019
“The Independent National Electoral Commission has consistently maintained that it will always obey court judgments and orders.
“In the case of the APC in Zamfara State, the Federal High Court, Abuja and the Zamfara State High Court issued conflicting orders relating to the participation of the APC in the two strands of elections scheduled for 23rd February 23 and March 9 20l9.
“While the former ruled that the APC, having failed to conduct party primaries cannot field candidates in the said election, the latter decided that it can field candidates having conducted valid party primaries.
“However, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Judicial Division on February 21 2019 set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja for “lack or want of jurisdiction on the part on the lower court.
“This in effect means that the Zamfara State High Court‘s decision that the APC can field candidates for the national assembly, governorship and state assembly elections is the only valid and subsisting order.
“Consequently, the Commission has today (Friday) in compliance with the said order, restored the APC to the ballot in the national assembly, governorship and state house of assembly elections scheduled for 23rd February 23 and March 9 2019.”
