Following its failure to conduct primaries at the scheduled period, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has declared that All Progressives Congress will not be allowed to field candidates for all elective positions in Zamfara State in the 2019 general elections.
The party failed to meet the October 7 deadline for conducting primaries to elect candidates for the elections as a result of battles for control of the process between the state Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, and a senator, Kabiru Marafa.
While both feuding camps eventually organised parallel primaries which produced different sets of candidates, the electoral panel sent to the state by the party’s national leadership announced that it was unable to organise primaries in the state, according to a report in Premium Times.
INEC, therefore, in a letter to Adams Oshiomhole, titled “Failure To Conduct Party Primaries in Zamfara State Within The Stipulated Time Frame”, said the party has lost the opportunity of presenting candidates for the 2019 general elections.
“You would note from the timetable that the conduct of party primaries is scheduled to take place between 18th August and 7th October 2018.
“Kindly also refer to the last schedule communicated by your party to the commission on the dates of party primaries nationwide, including Zamfara vide your letter Ref. APC/NHDQ/ INEC/19/18/51 dated 3rd Oct. 2018.
“However, report received from our office in Zamfara State shows that no primaries were conducted by your party in the state, Notwithstanding that our officials were fully mobilized and deployed.”
The electoral body therefore said based on the provisions of Section 87 and 31 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), “the commission does not expect that your party will submit names of any candidates from Zamfara State.
“For clarity, our position is that the All Progressives Congress (APC), will not be fielding candidates for the governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly Elections in Zamfara state for the 2019 for the general elections,” in the letter signed by the acting secretary of the commission, Okechukwu Ndeche.
source: Premium Times