After a protracted legal tussle, the Supreme Court Friday, 24th May 2019, delivered a judgment nullifying the victory of all Candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State in the 2019 General elections. APC Candidates who had been declared winners of thirty-six elective positions in the State, comprising the Governorship, National and State Assembly positions have lost their seats to Candidates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who were the first runners-up in the elections. Describing the votes scored by APC in the State as a waste, the Court held that the party did not conduct primaries in Zamfara State and as such, could not field Candidates in the General elections. In declaring the PDP winner of the elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) slated the presentation of Certificates of Return to the new winners for Monday, 27th May 2019 (for the Governor-elect and Deputy Governor-elect, Senators-elect and Members of the House of Representatives-elect) in Abuja and Friday, 31st May 2019 (Members of the State House of Assembly-elect) in Gusau, the State capital.
It will be recalled that the INEC had initially precluded APC members in Zamfara and Rivers States from contesting the 2019 General elections because the party did not conduct primaries in those States. INEC was compelled by a High Court two days to the elections, to include APC on the ballot. The Supreme Court decision affirmed INEC’s initial position.