ICYMI: INEC bans APC from producing candidates in Zamfara
The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) will not allow the All Progressive Congress (APC) to produce governorship, state and federal legislative candidates in the 2019 election, it has said.
This, as a result of the party’s inability to successfully elect candidates in a primary election before the October 7 deadline date.
A letter signed by Okechukwu Ndeche, the Commission’s acting scribe, to the ruling party of the state, reads: “Please refer to the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2019 General Elections released by the Commission on 9th January 2018. 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/lNEC/19/18/51 dated 3rd October 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.
“Consequently, based on the provisions of Sections 87 and 31 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), the Commission does not expect that your party will submit names of any candidate from Zamfara State. For clarity, our position, therefore, is that the All Progressives Congrats APC will not be fielding candidates for the Governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly elections in Zamfara State for the 2019 General elections.”
The primary election process in the state had been marred by violence involving two factions of the party.
