APC Postpones Re-run Primary Election In Nasarawa

The Nasarawa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced the postponement of its re-run primary election for the Nasarawa West Senatorial District.

Naija News understands that the party had conducted its primary election on June 4, 2022, where Shehu Tukur emerged as the candidate for the West Senatorial District.

His victory, however, was challenged in court by his contender at the primaries, Barr. Labaran Magaji.

Magaji went to a Federal High Court in Lafia, the state capital, to seek the nullification of the result.

His request was subsequently granted by the court on the basis of manipulation of the delegates list used for the election.

The court judge, Justice Nehezina Afolabi, passed the judgement on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, and directed APC to conduct a fresh primary election within 14 days from the day the judgement was given.

Magaji alleged that delegates, supporters and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials sent to monitor the process were not properly notified of the postponement, thereby leaving them stranded at the venue of the re-run election.

He said: “The party through a letter to INEC indicated they were willing to do the election as directed by the court on November 12 and so delegates cutting across Karu, Keffi, Nasarawa, Kokona and Toto LGAs that make up the Senatorial District were all here waiting for party officials to conduct the primaries.

“Earlier, we saw INEC officials sent to monitor but shortly after, they left. We then sought to find out what was delaying the process only for the INEC officials to tell us that they just received a letter that the party wrote INEC at the close of work notifying it that they received a notice of appeal from my co-contestant.

“So it is on the strength of that notice of appeal that the party will no longer hold the re-run primary election as scheduled, therefore postponing this election without a new date fixed. This is highly disappointing and the manner by which they postponed the re-run is not encouraging.”

It Takes A Court Order To Vacate Another Court Order

Magaji, however, while interacting with newsmen on Saturday said apart from the manner in which the party postponed the rerun election, he was perplexed by the action of the party because, from his experience as a lawyer, it takes an order of the court to vacate another order of a court.

“We were happy when we saw that our own party was attempting to comply with a court order only for the same party to rely on ordinary notice of appeal, a mere intention, to postpone the re-run. How can that appeal supersede a valid court order?

“The curious part was that no effort was made by the party to apologize to delegates and party loyalists whose time, resources and energy they have put in disarray with the postponement; instead the party apologized to INEC for any inconvenience caused by the postponement”, he said.

He then urged the party to arrange the re-run before the November 16 deadline set by the court, adding that the hearing of the appeal can go on without stopping the re-run primary election.

Magaji also urged delegates and supporters to remain peaceful and law-abiding and assured them that steps would be taken in line with the law to address the postponement of the re-run primary election to ensure it was held within the 14 days set by the court.