The Supreme Court has declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had no candidates in the 2019 general elections in Zamfara state.
The five-member panel of justices, in a unanimous judgment on Friday, held that the party in the state failed to conduct primaries in accordance with the party rules.
In the lead judgment by Justice Paul Adamu Galinji, the apex court held that all votes cast for the APC as “wasted votes” and declared that all political parties with the second highest votes in the elections and the required spread, are elected to the various elections.
The panel also awarded cost of N10m against APC in favour of the Kabiru Marafa faction of the APC and other respondents in the appeal.
Persons likely to be affected include the Governor-elect, Mukhtar Shehu Idris; Senators Abdulazeez Yari (Zamfara West); Aliyu Ikra Bilbis (Zamfara Central); Kaura Tijjani Yahaya (Zamfara North); seven elected members of the House of Representatives and 24 House of Assembly members.
The Supreme Court had on Thursday fixed the date after taking arguments from lawyers involved in two separate appeals on the Zamfara State APC primary election conducted last year for the nomination of candidates into various positions in the last general election.
