INEC’s final stand on Zamfara APC primaries true democracy – Marafa

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (downstream), Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa, has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for maintaining its earlier position on the rejection of Zamfara All Progressive Party (APC) candidates.

Marafa said the position taken by INEC was true democracy at play, which showed that the commission is truly independent.

Two judgements were delivered on Friday on the matter. A Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, held that INEC acted within its powers by refusing to accept list of candidates from a faction of APC in Zamfara State.

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

However, INEC on Wednesday, after studying the two judgments, decided to maintain its earlier position on the matter that there were no primaries in Zamfara APC.

Addressing a press conference at the National Assembly on Thursday, Marafa, an APC governorship aspirant, said the commission had done the right thing by maintaining its position on the matter.

“This shows that the commission is not doing the bidding of any of the parties involved in our intra-party squabble. From the beginning, the commission took a weighty but truthful position on the Zamfara APC primaries logjam, despite the fact that our party is the ruling political party.

“The development has shown that the commission will conduct credible, fair and transparent polls. We are urging the commission to always stand by the truth, no matter who is involved,” he said.

Also, Marafa said APC could still field candidates in Zamfara State, if their prayers before the Appeal Court in Sokoto are granted.

He said: “We are very optimistic that a fresh window to conduct primaries opposed by Yari, will, by God grace, be granted by the Appeal Court.”