Zamfara: What Ozekhome Said About Supreme Court Ruling

Constitutional lawyer Mike Ozekhome (SAN) has hailed the Supreme Court judgement over the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries in Zamfara State.

Naija News had reported that the Supreme court sitting in Abuja, on Friday, dismissed an appeal challenging the nullification of the ruling APC primary elections in Zamfara state.

The five-member panel of justices, in a unanimous judgment, held that the APC in Zamfara state failed to conduct primaries in accordance with the party rules.

This online news platform understands that the Supreme court in a lead judgment by Justice Paul Adamu Galinji, declared all votes cast for the APC as “wasted votes” and ordered that the runner-up candidate be sworn in if he fulfils the constitutional requirement of getting one-quarter of the total votes cast in at least two-thirds of the local government areas of the northern state.

Ozekhome, who is the counsel to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), noted that the ruling of the Apex Court has strengthened the nation’s democracy.

“It shows that parties must maintain internal democracy and cannot whimsically, capriciously and arbitrarily operate outside their constitution, guidelines, the Electoral Act and the Constitution,” he said.

“When a party damages its primaries, it can never reap the proceeds of its illegalities.

“That is why and how the PDP that came second has today produced the governor, all senators, all House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates today in one fell swoop. All glory and full adoration belong to God,” Ozekhome said.