The electoral commission (INEC) had in a notice to all the political parties directed them to conduct primaries as required by the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and submit their list of candidates before October 18.
“The last day for submission of lists of sponsored candidates (Form CFOO2) and personal particulars (Form CF001) remains October 18 for Presidential and National Assembly and November 2 for Governorship and State Houses of Assembly,” the commission said.
As at Tuesday night, according to the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, only eight of Nigeria’s 91 political parties have submitted the names of their candidates.
The APC, Nigeria’s governing party, is one of the parties troubled with submission of candidates lists largely due to crises in primaries conducted in some states.
Hours to the deadline, party faithful in Adamawa, Zamfara, Delta and Kaduna among others are not sure who their candidates will be for certain positions.
Adamawa
In Adamawa State, two of the aspirants who were challenging Governor Muhammed Jibrilla for the APC ticket, former chairman of the EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu and Mahmud Ahmed, an in-law to President Muhammadu Buhari, both accused the panel sent by the national headquarters of the party of conniving with the governor to declare him the candidate when elections were never conducted.
Up-till this hour, many in the state told PREMIUM TIMES they were not sure whose name will finally be submitted by the APC to INEC as the state governorship candidate.
One of the sources said the party leadership and the presidency are still not sure of Mr Bindow’s ( as he is popularly known) loyalty.
The governor reportedly declared his unwavering loyalty to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. He however, made a U-Turn and assured Mr Buhari that he is now fully in support of the president’s second term bid after Mr Abubakar defected back to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The same scenario played out with former Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, who first pledged her loyalty to Mr Abubakar, but eventually made a U-turn and assured Mr Buhari that she will support him.
The U-turn was not enough because the APC led by former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, eventually disqualified her from running for governor in Taraba, citing doubts over her loyalty.
Also, incumbent senator representing Adamawa North, Binta Garba, was declared the candidate of the party, although, some of the aspirants alleged that no primary election was held.
One of them, Idris Ahmed, told PREMIUM TIMES over the telephone on Wednesday that APC was not fair to them by not allowing election to hold.
“We were there spending our money, she never went there and a day to the conduct of the primary they told us they have given Binta the ticket. Is that fair?
“Even PDP with all their impunity has never done that. Let’s not forget that it is fairness (that) brought Buhari to power, otherwise Jonathan wouldn’t have conceded defeat to him,” he said.
Mr Ahmed also said “I spent over N150 million of my own money, no one from the party even consulted with us and I can assure you that there are well over 1000 of us across the country who were basically swindled. I don’t know how the party plans to win in 2019.”
Apart from Adamawa north, there are uncertainty over the names of candidates to be submitted for some House of Representatives and State Assembly elections.
Kaduna
In Kaduna state, the uncertainty is over who will be submitted by the party as the candidate of the APC for Kaduna Central Senatorial District.
The senator representing Kaduna Central in the National Assembly, Shehu Sani
While, the APC headquaters in Abuja insists that incumbent Shehu Sani is the candidate of the party, the panel it sent to the state however, conducted a primary which was boycotted by Mr Sani, and declared an aide to Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Uba Sani, as winner.
Zamfara
The case of Zamfara is even more serious. INEC had already told APC that it is not expecting the party to submit list of candidates for election into various positions because it was aware the party failed to hold primary before the deadline of October 8.
However, the party told the electoral umpire that it will present its candidates for all elective positions in Zamfara State in the 2019 general elections despite the directive.
In a response by Mr Oshiomhole, the APC said “Be informed that in spirit of due compliance with the law, we affirm we shall indeed be presenting candidates for governorship, National Assembly and state house of assembly in Zamfara state of the general elections before the deadline of such names which has been fixed by your commission on October 18 and in line with section 87 (6) of the electoral act 2010 as amended,” in a letter to INEC dated October 10.
“If you raise further objection after you receive our lists of candidates we shall be glad to clarify them.”
The party chairman disputed INEC’s position in the letter written to it by INEC that no primaries were held by the party, insisting that voting is not the only mode to produce a candidate in a primary according to electoral laws.
The state governor, Abdulaziz Yari, also claimed that all primaries have been concluded in the state.
One of the governorship aspirants, a senator, Kabiru Marafa however, declared his support for the decision of INEC that the APC does not have candidates in the state for the 2019 general election. Mr Marafa said no primaries were held.
INEC on Monday says it stands by its statement that the APC will not field candidates for the 2019 general elections in Zamfara.
Meanwhile, reports says a Zamfara state High Court has issued an interim order restraining the APC and INEC from disqualifying the party’s candidates from the state.
The order was given Tuesday by judge, Mukhtar Yushau, following a suit filed by three executive members of the party in the state.
Those who filed the suit are the chairman of the party in Gusau Local Government Area, Babangida Abdullahi; his counterpart in Tsafe Local Government Area, Kabiru Chafe; and Sanusi Dan-Alhahi.
Whether or not INEC recognises the list from Zamfara sent by the APC headquarters, the party is expected to send same. However, will the party dance to the tune of the governor whom it has chastised for sabotaging the primaries?
Niger
In Niger State, of all the primaries conducted to field candidates for the ten federal constituencies, only one has been officially declared concluded with a winner announced.
However, all the results of the three senatorial primaries were declared.
The state governor, Abubakar Sani-Bello, is believed not to be in good terms with most of the federal lawmakers in the state.
The frosty relationship between the governor and the lawmakers cannot be unconnected to the defeat of two out of its three serving senators who sought reelection in the primaries.
The two senators, David Umaru and Sabi Abdullahi, who is the senate spokesperson, lost in the senatorial primaries held across the state.
In Niger north senatorial district, Mr Abdullahi lost to the state serving commissioner for local government, community development and chieftaincy affairs, Zakari Jikantoro, while David Umaru lost to Sani Musa.
A serving House of Representatives member, Mohammed Bago is the only winner that has been officially declared as the party flagbearer.
For many serving lawmakers, the wait continues to see which candidates’ names the APC headquarters will send in Niger.
Delta
In Delta state, a court has temporarily barred the APC, from presenting candidates for the 2019 elections in the state
The Federal High Court in Asaba, the Delta State capital, restrained the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC from submitting the list of the party’s candidates in Delta State to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a ruling on Wednesday, a day to the deadline by INEC, the judge, Toyin Adegoke, ordered the party and other respondents to maintain the status quo and not submit any list of candidates from the two factions of the party in the state to INEC, till the substantive suit is heard.
Mr Oshiomhole was joined in the suit as the second respondent with APC as first respondent. Also joined are INEC and Jones Erue as the third and fourth respondents respectively.
The Cyril Ogodo-led State Working Committee (SWC) of the party in the state and others had applied for the interlocutory injunction restraining NWC of APC and Mr Oshiomhole from submitting the list of candidates from Mr Erue’s faction to INEC.
In her ruling, the judge said: “this matter shall be given an accelerated hearing owing to fact that it is a pre-election matter. All defendants are to take note of the pendency of this suit.
“Parties shall maintain the status quo as at today, the 17th day of October 2018. That is the order of this court,” the judge ruled
