The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC face major setback when the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division refuse to recognize the primaries that produced National and state House of Assembly candidates in Zamfara State, including the Governor-elect, Muktar Idris.
The party is also challenged on the Bauchi State governorship seat as a Federal high Court sitting in Abuja dismissed its earlier order halting the collation of Tafawa Balewa LGA results for the governorship election held on March 9 in the state. APC candidate and incumbent governor, Mohammed Abubakar with 470,570 votes is trailing Senator Bala Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The PDP standard bearer scored
475,888 votes in the governorship poll of March 9 and make-up election of March
23 and is said to be leading in Tafawa Balewa LGA, which is considered a PDP
stronghold in Bauchi.
A National Commissioner of the
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mr. Festus Okoye, said the commission will conclude the
remaining result from Tafawa Balewa LGA and announce the winner. Expectedly,
the court verdicts elicited reactions from stakeholder
Member of the major opposition party, Mr.
Ayodele Fayose, hailed the ruling, just as lawyers outlined the implications of
the decisions.
Dissatisfied with State High
Court decision, the appellants, Senator Kabiru Marafa, Chairman of the Senate
Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) and 129 others through their Counsel, Chief
Mike Ozekhome, SAN, approached the Appeal Court and challenged the decision on
the ground that the State High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit
among others.
