Mr Hilard Etta, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Vice Chairman South South, has described the Supreme Court ruling which upturned the party’s electoral victory in Zamfara, as a sad one for it and its members.
TBI Africa said the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the five-member panel of the Supreme Court justices, in a unanimous judgement on Friday, declared that the APC in Zamfara had no candidates in the 2019 general elections.
This, it explained was because the party failed to conduct a recognised primaries in accordance with party rules.
In the lead judgment by Justice Paul Galinji, the apex court held that all votes cast for the APC during the general election were “wasted votes”.
He declared that all political parties with the second highest votes in the elections and the required spread, were elected to various elective positions in the state.
“It is a sad day for every member of the APC. It is a very sad day for us,”Eta said while speaking on the development on telephone.
On internal democracy in the party, Eta said internal democracy was a serious problem in the country, saying that it was work in progress.
He added that the party leadership had however, made a lot of stride within its fold.
One of the party’s members of the National Working Committee (NWC), who spoke to NAN on grounds of anonymity, blamed the development on ego among some ranking officers of the party.
NAN reports that shortly after the court ruling, the APC NWC went into an emergency closed door meeting.
The party leadership, however, did not speak to newsmen after the meeting.
Earlier, Gov. Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, who was on Thursday night elected as the new Chairman of Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), postponed the briefing with the media.
The PGF is an umbrella body of governors elected on the APC platform.
Bagudu was unanimously elected at the forum’s meeting held at Imo Government Lodge on Thursday night.
According to Alhaji Salihu Lukman, Director -General Progressive Governors Forum, Bagudu postponed the briefing because APC governors that were supposed to be part of it, had to go sympathise with the Zamfara governor over the Supreme Court ruling.
