JUST IN: APC loses Zamfara as party fails to produce Guber candidate

The All Progressives Congress (APC) will not field candidates for all elective positions in Zamfara State in the 2019 general elections.

This followed a declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

INEC in a memo explained that APC failed to meet the October 7 deadline for conducting primaries to elect candidates for the elections.

The letter signed by the acting secretary of the commission, Okechukwu Ndeche, was addressed to APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.

The letter titled, “Failure To Conduct Party Primaries in Zamfara State Within The Stipulated Time Frame” reads: “You would note from the timetable that the conduct of party primaries is scheduled to take place between 18th August and 7th October 2018.

“Kindly also refer to the last schedule communicated by your party to the commission on the dates of party primaries nationwide, including Zamfara vide your letter Ref. APC/NHDQ/ INEC/19/18/51 dated 3rd Oct. 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 mobilized 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.

“For clarity, our position is that the All Progressives Congress (APC), will not be fielding candidates for the governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly Elections in Zamfara state for 2019 general elections.”

The Zamfara chapter of the APC had split into camps headed by Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, and Senator Kabiru Marafa.

Yari wanted Mukhtar Idris, the state commissioner of finance, to succeed him, a situation which put the entire primaries in disarray.

With this development, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) which has already picked a former member of the House of Representatives, Bello Matawalle, as its governorship candidate for the 2019 elections, may take over the state.