INEC: We are not Under Pressure from Presidency over Zamfara APC

Contrary to media reports that there were elements within the presidency mounting pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept the list of candidates from the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Zamfara State, the commission on Tuesday stated that it was not under any pressure.

INEC had in a letter to the leadership of the APC notifying the party that it is ineligible to field candidates for all elective positions in Zamfara State in the 2019 general election because the party failed to meet the October 7 deadline for conducting primaries to elect candidates for the elections.

The commission had referred the party National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, to the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2019 general election released by the commission on January 9 2018.

It stated: “You would note from the timetable that the conduct of party primaries is scheduled to take place between August 18 and October 7, 2018.

“Kindly also refer to the last schedule communicated by your party to the commission on the dates of party primaries nationwide, including Zamfara State, vide your letter Ref. APC/NHDQ/ INEC/19/18/51 dated October 3. 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 mobilised and deployed.”

INEC 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.”

But Zamfara state executive however instituted a case against the commission to challenge it decision at the state High Court in Gusau, the state capital.

The suit was filed by three executive members of the APC in the state-Chairman of the party in Gusau Local Government Area, Babangida Abdullahi; his counterpart in Tsafe Local Government Area, Kabiru Chafe, and Sanusi Dan-Alhaji.

On October 16, 2018, the High Court in Gusau, presided over by Justice Mukhtar Yusha’u, granted an interim order restraining all parties involved in the state APC primaries crisis to stay action, ruling that the national headquarters of the APC, INEC, the national vice chairman of the party in the Northwest and their agents could not take any further action.

The plaintiffs had asked the court to direct APC and INEC to recognise the results of the primaries conducted by the state APC from the October 3 to 7, 2018.

Justice Mukhtar issued an order of interim injunction ordering the APC, the party North-west zonal chairman and INEC to “maintain the status quo as at the time the plaintiffs filed the suit on October 8, 2018,” which was not objected by their counsel.

The judge, thereafter, adjourned the matter till October 23 for hearing to enable the defendants file their responses to the motion on notice before the court.

Reacting to report that INEC is under pressure from the presidency, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, told journalists in Abuja Tuesday that it would be subjudice to comment on a matter before the court.

According to him, “It will be subjudice to comment on this case since it is already before the courts. I am not aware of any pressure from any quarter on INEC to take any action contrary to the rule of law on the Zamfara State issue.”

However, a public affairs analyst, Jamal Gusau, who was suspected to have mounted pressure on INEC to change its position on the state APC’s issue, said: “If Professor Yakubu-led INEC succumb to the presidential pressure and violates the court order, then he will successfully vindicate what the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said about him and the electoral umpire.

“Only four days ago, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, called on the INEC chairman to resign over his alleged inability to conduct free, fair and credible election. The PDP chairman accused the Inspector General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, of working for the APC to arrest and intimidate its opponents.

“He also alleged that the INEC chairman lacked the will and capacity to deliver free and fair elections.

‘’I am worried that the INEC chairman will not give the PDP allegations fresh air by acting according to the dictates of the law, but the whims and caprices of some Abuja power brokers.”