Nseobong Okon-Ekong writes that the All Progressives Congress in Zamfara State appears to be the architect of its own fate when it failed to substantially comply with the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission for the 2019 general election, leading the Supreme Court to upturn its victory in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party
What had emerged as a signal of great expectation for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Zamfara State arising from the verdict of the Supreme Court which nullified the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries appeared to hang in the balance, at first, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was foot dragging. A terse statement from the electoral body’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education, Mr. Festus Okoye, said the commission was studying the apex court judgement and would act afterwards. To some stakeholders, this was interpreted as a deliberate delay, perhaps to find a way to help the ruling party out of its quagmire.
However, the court’s decision did not leave INEC with another choice than to declare the PDP candidates at different strata of the 2019 national elections in Zamfara as winners. The court had clearly stated that the contestants with the second highest votes be declared winner. In nearly all the 14 local government areas in the state, the PDP came second and its share of the total votes less APC’s squandered votes was over 70 per cent. The voting pattern showed that the PDP had a minimum of 48 per cent across the 14 LGAs of Zamfara State. The Supreme Court announcement was incontrovertible and did not allow any chance for disruption by the APC and INEC. The position was made further intricate by the fact that a new governor must be sworn in on Wednesday.
In compliance with the Supreme Court judgment, the commission returned the PDP governorship candidate, Bello Mohammed Matawalle and his running mate, Mahdi Aliyu Gusau, as Governor-elect and Deputy Governor-elect respectively. It also returned the three senatorial candidates and seven House of Representatives candidates of the PDP as duly elected. While INEC returned 23 of the 24 PDP House of Assembly candidates as elected, it however declared the candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Kabiru Hashimu, as winner for Maru South State Constituency.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, told journalists in Abuja, that the governor-elect, deputy-governor-elect and National Assembly members-elect would receive their certificates of return today (Monday).
According to him, the state House of Assembly members-elect will receive theirs from the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state in Gusau on Friday, May 31.
Yakubu explained what looked like the commission’s earlier reluctance. According to him, it was needful for the electoral body to take a studious look at the judgement, particularly concerning the governorship election, which he said was not determined by just majority votes but also spread in accordance with the constitution of the country.
He said, “Following the judgment of the Supreme Court, the commission has met in two emergency sessions and taken briefings from our lawyers and staff on the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment. While the legislative elections (Senatorial, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly elections) are straightforward to deal with because they entail first-past-the-post or simple majority of votes, the governorship election is determined not just by majority votes but also spread in accordance with Section 179 (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“This means that we had to first discount the votes cast for the APC in the elections and then carefully rework the spread by local government areas based on the new valid votes. In compliance with the Supreme Court judgment, the commission has now determined the winners of the elections in Zamfara State.”
The PDP said the Supreme Court’s judgment which gave victory to them after voiding the votes of the APC in Zamfara State was the triumph of the will of the people over manipulative forces. The party said the victory was a clear pointer to the fact that no matter how long manipulations and anti-democratic tendencies appeared to thrive, justice and the will of the people always prevailed at the end of the day.
According to a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP assured the people of the state of a purposeful, people-based and result-oriented leadership that would unite and revitalise the state for the greater good, in line with the wishes and aspiration of the people. The party stated that Zamfara was blessed with abundant human and natural resources adding that the in-coming administration would direct all energies towards harnessing such resources for the wellbeing of all the people.
The PDP, therefore, urged the people of the state to resist all forces of division and unite behind their new leaders to move the state forward.
Resigning to fate, Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar, said his administration and the good loyal APC members in the state have accepted the verdict of the Supreme Court. The Governor said the party members and its supporters in the state have done everything possible to ensure APC did not lose Zamfara State, but as Allah wanted, the party lost the state.
But the APC could be said to be the architect of its own fate, as the party failed to comply substantially with INEC Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2019 general election issued since January 9, 2018. Among other activities, the conduct of party primaries was scheduled to take place between August 18 and October 7, 2018. The APC did not conduct its primaries in Zamfara State within this stipulated time and the commission duly informed the party that it would not be in a position to present candidates for elections in the state. Subsequently, various interested parties, including the APC itself, approached the court over the decision of the commission. Just before the election, the subsisting court judgment at the time ordered the commission to include the APC on the ballot for the governorship, National Assembly and state assembly elections, which the commission complied with. However, since the elections were completed, a Court of Appeal judgment and now a Supreme Court judgment have determined that the APC did not conduct valid primaries for the elections.
Yakubu used the Zamfara example to warn political parties to play by the rules. He said, “I wish to seize this opportunity to draw the attention of all stakeholders, but particularly the political parties, to the implications of the Supreme Court judgment on the Zamfara matter. It is clear that properly conducted party primaries are cardinal to the proper internal functioning of political parties, the electoral process and our democratic system at large. Therefore, political parties must take very seriously the conduct of primaries according to all extant rules, including the monitoring of the processes by INEC to avoid a repeat of the Zamfara experience.”
Reacting to the loss of Zamfara, the APC called an emergency meeting of its National Working Committee to discuss the Supreme Court judgement on the contentious Zamfara State elections in Abuja today (Monday). Shocked at the decision of INEC to declare the PDP winner of the elections after the apex court’s ruling, there are hints that the party would sanction some of its members whose actions cost the APC the monumental loss, especially as what happened in Zamfara was avoidable. The APC has become weakened at the National Assembly and the state. Though Governor of neighbouring Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu has been elected Chairman of the APC Governors Forum, the strength of the party has reduced in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. The APC ouster in Zamfara will also affect the overall outlook of the party in the North-West, which is a strategic geo-political zone.
With the Supreme Court ruling on Zamfara, the ongoing race to fill principal offices in the National Assembly has been redefined. In the senate, for instance, senators-elect on the platform of the APC are 62, PDP has 44 while Young Progressive Party has one with two outstanding from Imo State.
QUICK FACTS:
*The Supreme Court nullified the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries in Zamfara State, therefore overturning the victory previously claimed by the APC in the 2019 national elections in favour of the PDP
*The APC failed to comply substantially with INEC Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2019 general election issued since January 9, 2018. Among other activities, the conduct of party primaries was scheduled to take place between August 18 and October 7, 2018. The APC did not conduct its primaries in Zamfara State within this stipulated time and the commission duly informed the party that it would not be in a position to present candidates for elections in the state
*Various interested parties, including the APC itself, approached the court over the decision of the commission. Just before the election, the subsisting court judgment at the time ordered the commission to include the APC on the ballot for the governorship, National Assembly and state assembly elections, which the commission complied with. However, since the elections were completed, a Court of Appeal judgment and now a Supreme Court judgment have determined that the APC did not conduct valid primaries for the elections
*By the pronouncement of the apex court, PDP candidates at different strata of the 2019 national elections in Zamfara were declared winners. The court had clearly stated that the contestants with the second highest votes be declared winner. In nearly all of the 14 local government areas in the state, the PDP came second
*In nearly all the 14 local government areas in the state, the PDP came second and its share of the total votes less APC’s squandered votes was over 70 per cent. The voting pattern showed that the PDP had a minimum of 48 per cent across the 14 LGAs of Zamfara State
*In compliance with the Supreme Court judgment, the Commission returned the PDP governorship candidate, Bello Mohammed Matawalle and his running mate, Mahdi Aliyu Gusau, as Governor-elect and Deputy Governor-elect respectively
*It also returned the three senatorial candidates and seven House of Representatives candidates of the PDP as duly elected. While INEC returned 23 of the 24 PDP House of Assembly candidates as elected, it however declared the candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Kabiru Hashimu, as winner for Maru South State Constituency
*The governorship election was not determined by just majority votes but also spread in accordance with the constitution of the country
*Properly conducted party primaries are cardinal to the proper internal functioning of political parties, the electoral process and our democratic system at large. Therefore, political parties must take very seriously the conduct of primaries according to all extant rules, including the monitoring of the processes by INEC to avoid a repeat of the Zamfara experience
Hope Restored from the Brink - THISDAY Newspapers
0 Comments: