APC guber aspirants seek NJC’s intervention in Zamfara crisis

No fewer than eight governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State yesterday faulted Governor Abdulaziz Yari’s move to enforce the judgement of a state High Court on the party’s crisis.

The aspirants, led by Senator Kabiru Garba Maraca under the umbrella of G-8 said an application Yari filed last Friday, seeking interim enforcement of the judgement of a Zamfara State High Court on the tussle, was strange to law.

To this effect, the aspirants, Marafa, the state deputy governor, Ibrahim Wakala, a former governor of the state, Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi, Minster of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, Aminu Sani Jaji, Abu Magaji, Dauda Lawal and Mohammed Sagir Hamidu, therefore, sought the National Judicial Council (NJC)’s urgent intervention on the matter.

Nine aspirants had purchased their APC governorship forms for the 2019 elections, but eight of them had formed the G-8, following the party’s primaries in the state.

A Court of Appeal sitting in Sokoto had adjourned appeal of APC candidates tussle to February 19, 2019 for hearing and abridged the time for the parties to file their briefs.

Two judgements were delivered on Friday, January 25, 2019 on the matter. A Federal High Court presided over by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu held that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) acted within its jurisdiction by refusing to accept the list of candidates from a faction of APC in the state.

The second judgement was delivered by Justice Muhammad Bello Shinkafi of the High Court in Gusau, affirming that primaries were conducted and requested INEC to accept candidates of the exercise.

But after studying the judgements, INEC decided to maintain its earlier position on the matter.

However, arising from the Zamfara State High Court, two defendants in the case before the court namely, Marafa and Jaji separately filed notices of appeal against the judgement.

Records show that Jaji’s appeal was transmitted to the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division on February 7, 2019 between 4 and 5pm.

It was learnt that immediately the appellant transmitted the record, the Court of Appeal sent text messages to all counsel in the appeal to appear in Court on Friday, February 8, 2019.