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Tag: Zamfara

  • Obey Appeal Court judgement on Zamfara, APC tells INEC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately enlist its candidates in Zamfara state for the general election which begins on Saturday in compliance with the judgement of the Sokoto division of the Court of Appeal.

    The court had dismissed an appeal against the judgement of the High Court of Zamfara state ordering the commission to accept the list of candidates presented to it by the party.

    National Legal Adviser of the party, Babatunde Ogala told newsmen after a meeting between the Deputy National Chairman, South, Otumba Niyi Adebayo the Zamfara state governor, Abdulaziz Yari and his Ekiti state counterpart, Kayode Fayemi that even if INEC was right in obeying only the pronouncement of the Federal High Court in Abuja which made no order, there is a judgement of a superior court now which the commission must obey.

    Ogala said “We all know the tragerary of the Zamfara matter where despite having a positive order of court asking INEC to accept the list of our candidates from a properly held, conducted, supervised and observed primary by INEC, it still said, in its opinion because there was a conflicting order of court of coordinate jurisdiction refused to accept our candidates.

    “Let me emphasis that the court in Abuja did not make any order. The only order was from the High Court in Zamfara. Some people in their wisdom, appealed the decision of the High Court in Gusau. That is the matter that now went on appeal and the Court of Appeal in Sokoto has now dismissed the appeal and affirmed the decision of the Zamfara state High Court which upheld that the APC had a legitimate primary and that INEC should accept the list of our candidates.

    “Let us assume, though not conceding that INEC was right in saying it had two conflicting orders of court of coordinate jurisdiction and choose to accept the one that made no order as against the one that had a positive order, now we have a judgement of a higher court which has now affirmed the decision of the Zamfara state High Court compelling INEC to accept our list of candidates and we are hopeful that INEC will comply with the order of court and have our candidates on the ballot.”

    Asked if the party planned to hold any meeting with INEC on the issue, Ogala said “there is nothing like having to meet with INEC. What we owe who was a respondent in the matter is to forward a copy of the judgement of the Court of Appeal to INEC even though they are already aware, so that they will reflect the names of our already submitted candidates on the ballot for the elections”

    Also speaking, Zamfara state governor, Abdulaziz Yari said the people of the state were grateful to God for the judgement, stressing that INEC should follow the part of honour and obey the judgement of the court of Appeal.

    Yari said “I give thanks to God in whose infinite mercies, this judgement came up. If the judgement had been to the contrary, it would have been different. But the Court dismissed the appeal and affirmed the judgement of the High Court. You know what that means. We are happy with the outcome and we are here to work with the party to convey the enrollment order to INEC and to ensure that they comply with the order.

    “Even if the two judgments from the high court were conflicting, we now have the judgement of a superior court and we except INEC to comply and now follow the part of anarchy or go against the laws of the land. So, we believe strongly that INEC will comply.“

  • AGF calls on INEC to allow Zamfara APC field candidates for elections

    The Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, (SAN) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) to allow the All Progressives Congress (APC) Zamfara, field candidates for the general elections.

    Malami, who doubles as the Minister of Justice, made the call in a letter to INEC dated Feb. 13, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    The minister said that INEC could not foreclose the right of a political party to participate in elections without recourse to the Act.

    “My office received a petition from the firm of M. A. Mahmud, (SAN) & CO, in respect of the need to urgently consider Sections 38 and 39 of the Electoral Act and extend the time for the APC Zamfara to field a gubernatorial candidate in the light of a Zamfara High Court judgment in suit No.ZMS/GS/52/2018.

    “The letter was requesting that the subsisting judgment in the suit be upheld and respected by INEC, as the Court of Appeal has upheld the appeal with No. CA/S/23/2019; thus effectively annulling the grounds upon which the purported cancellation of the APC Primaries in Zamfara by INEC was based.’’

    Malami, in the letter invited INEC to comply with the judgment of the Court of Appeal by admitting the results of the APC Zamfara primaries.

    He also invited INEC to comply with the provisions of Section 38 of the Electoral Act, which empower the commission to postpone the election for the governorship, National Assembly and House of Assembly elections.

    He said this was in view of the fact since the Court of Appeal had upheld the primaries as valid, the APC in Zamfara would need a little time to catch up with its contemporaries in the election.

    “Granting them this concession is not necessarily a favour but a right that inures to all contestants under similar circumstances.”

    The AGF maintained that by the doctrine and principle of judicial precedence, the appeal superseded the Federal High Court’s position which foreclosed APC Zamfara from fielding candidates in the Feb. and March general elections. (NAN)

  • INEC to relocate polling units over security challenges in Zamfara

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will relocate some polling units at the areas vulnerable to security challenges in Zamfara.

    The Residents Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the state, Hajiya Asmau Maikudi said this at a press conference in Gusau on Wednesday.

    The REC said the electoral officers at the local government offices of such areas were meeting with all stakeholders to see the possibilities of relocating those polling units to other places where security was guaranteed.

    She said as soon as all arrangements were concluded, the commission would notify the electorate of the affected areas where to cast their votes.

    Read also: Shekarau urges youths to shun violence during election

    She said the commission would appoint personnel that would guide the electorate to new the polling units.

    She maintain that no eligible voter would be left out in the electoral process, as all measures were being put in place to also include those living with disabilities.

    Asmau said those with any form of disability, old age, pregnant women and nursing mothers would be given special considerations during the election.

    She said all the 14 local governments in the state were affected except for Gumi and Bakura LGAs.

  • Buhari never called for violence in Zamfara, says Keyamo

    The Director of Strategic Communications for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN), has absolved President Muhammadu Buhari of inciting violence in Zamfara State.

    In a statement yesterday in Abuja, the nation’s capital, Keyamo said: “Typical of the Peoploes Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku’s campaign team, they have continued in their favourite pastime of peddling falsehood, scaremongering and misinformation.

    “This time, the candidate of the main opposition himself, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, sensing a comprehensive defeat this Saturday and out of frustration, threw caution to the wind in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on February 11, when he alleged that President Buhari called for violence when he campaigned in Zamfara State.

    “Nothing can be farther from the truth. The Hausa word the President used in Zamfara, which has been taken out of context, is “fitna”. Incidentally, all our Hausa language scholars have said the word means different things: it means distress, trial, affliction or temptation. It can also be used to describe rebellion or uprising.

    “In this case, President Buhari was actually weighing in on the joke told very often of recent in the North that due to the rice boom, farmers have embarked on pilgrimage and the marrying of more wives.

    “So, what the President meant was actually a joke deliberately taken out of context: he simply told the crowd to ensure they eat very well because of the rice boom before they can contemplate giving in to those temptations.

    “Even in some private meetings with our campaign team, the President has always commented on this joke. Sadly, out of desperation, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has decided to peddle falsehood.

    “We urge Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to realise that it is God Almighty that gives power and takes power. He should not use his palpable desperation to return to power (in order to sell Nigeria to his ‘friends’ and make them rich) to set this nation ablaze by outright falsehood.”

     

     

  • Buhari uges traditional rulers to end banditry

    PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has urged traditional rulers to do more in curbing banditry and kidnapping in their communities.

    According to him, he felt disappointed that people who were allegedly close to some of them were found to have a hand in such criminality.

    The President spoke yesterday at a meeting with the royal fathers in the Government House in Gusau, Zamfara State,  as part of the ongoing campaigns.

    In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President expressed the determination of his administration to defend the country from criminals and insurgents.

    “We are determined to defend the nation and its people. We are disappointed with some of the things going on. You are responsible for the security of your neighbourhood. Being close to your people, you know them. You are still relevant. I am sorry this has extended to some of your families,” he said.

    Referring to the deployment of a large number of security personnel to the state, Buhari said security is also the business of the traditional rulers, not that of the police and other security agencies alone.

    “More security is not good news, but we must do something to secure our environment,” he noted.

    The President hailed the gallantry of the security agencies in battling kidnapping and banditry.

    Buhari said: “You know what we have achieved. You had one who styled himself as Buharin Daji, the Buhari of the forests, claiming to be in charge and not I at the centre. He is no more, and by my surviving him, you now know who is stronger.”

    He said he was contesting this election as his fifth and the last, because as he noted, “a second term is what the constitution allows, and I will not abuse the constitution.”

    Council of Traditional Rulers Chairman and Emir of Anka Alhaji Attahiru Ahmed and Governor Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar hailed the President’s efforts in changing the state’s security situation.

    According to the governor, “From the presence of an ammunition depot manned by just 30-men when you took office in 2015, Zamfara State today boasts of the presence of 4,700 combined security personnel, who are assisted by 8,500 State Joint Task Force, SJTF members. We also have the 223 Battalion, the 607 Quick Response Battalion and the 1 Brigade in Gusau.”

    The council of traditional rulers also endorsed President Buhari’s bid for a second term.

  • IDPs hunger protest: House Committee demands sanctions for officials

    The House of Representatives Committee on Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs ), Refugees and North-East Initiatives on Wednesday faulted the recourse to teargas to disperse protesting hungry lDPs at Teachers Village camp in Maiduguri.

    It asked the Federal Government to intervene by ensuring immediate supply of the desperately needed food items by the displaced persons.

    It also demanded sanctions for the perpetrators and beneficiaries of the inhumane crime.

    It said the committee is ready to share vital information capable of fishing out the culprits no matter how highly placed.

    It, however, expressed regrets that 32,000 IDPs have crossed over to Cameroon between Mid-December 2018 and 31 January, 2019.

    The committee, in a statement by its chairman, Muhammed Sani Zorro, said massive consignments of these food and non-food items procured with state resources are either at varying stages of expiration or being shared (in the open) to highly-placed politicians for use as campaign tools.

    The statement said: “The House of Representatives Committee on IDPs, Refugees and North-East Initiatives wishes to express sadness over yesterday’s protest by Internally Displaced Persons (lDPs) at Teachers Village camp in Maiduguri, and the needless resort to the use of tear gas to disperse them by the police.

    “It is on record that the authorities concerned have continued to deprive the starving and desperate IDPs of food and non-food Items whose everyday complaints, pleas, and outcries only fell on the deaf ears of insensitive officials charged with their care.

    “Sadly, massive consignments of these food and nonfood items procured with state resources are now either at varying stages of expiration, or are being shared (in the open) to highly-placed politicians for use as campaign tools in the countdown to our general elections.

    “Evidence also abound of the age-old diversion and illegal sale of humanitarian assistance items in the open market. This is evil at its best, reprehensible and unacceptable to all men and women of conscience.”

    The committee appealed to the Federal Government to ensure immediate supply of food and essential items to the IDPs.

    Read Also: 2019: IDPs won’t vote in Niger – INEC

    The statement added: “The Committee urges the Federal Government to act as a matter of supreme urgency by ensuring immediate supply of the desperately needed items without further delay and punish the perpetrators and beneficiaries of the inhumane crime.

    “As part of its oversight functions, the committee is willing and ready to share vital information capable of fishing out the culprits no matter how highly placed.

    On the general election, it pleaded with the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow the IDPs to vote wherever they are.

    “Such flexibility should be extended to affected victims in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and any other state(s),” the committee pleaded.

  • Gunmen kill 15, kidnap 6 women in Zamfara

     

    Police in Zamfara on Tuesday confirmed the killing of 15 persons and kidnap of six women by gunmen in Gusau local government area of the state.

    Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Muhammad Shehu, made the confirmation in a statement in Gusau, capital of Zamfara.

    Shehu said that on Monday, there was an attack in Wonaka, Ajja, Mada, Ruwan Baure, Doka, Takoka and Tudun-Maijatau villages of Mada district in Gusau area of Zamfara state.

    He said a woman was among the persons killed, adding that the attackers also kidnapped six women and a man.

    “Fortunately, with the efforts of police and sister security agencies, the abducted women have regained their freedom and have re-joined their families.

    “Normalcy has been restored to the affected villages, with improved deployment of PMF, CTU, Special Forces and Military teams to the area to forestall further attack on neighbouring villages.

    “The attack is presumably a reprisal to the attack on some Fulanis in a J5 vehicle on Feb. 1, 2019 where seven Fulanis and their animals were killed and set ablaze by the outlawed `Yansakai,’ he said.

    READ ALSO: Boko Haram kills five in Adamawa

    In another development, the PPRO said that the District Head of Gwashi in Bukkuyum Local Government Area reported to the police that armed bandits stormed Batauna village and killed 11 persons and set houses ablaze.

    He, however, said that the details were sketchy to the police due to distance and terrain inaccessibility and lack of GSM coverage in area.

    “Units of PMF/CTU/Special Forces and military were mobilized to complement the effort of security personnel already on ground and also confirm the authenticity of the report.

    “The entire area and environs have been subjected to co-ordinated bush-combing for possible arrest of the perpetrators.

    “The command urges members of the public to avoid taking laws into their hands and always report all complaints and grievances to constituted authority for legal redress.

    “Discreet investigation into this dastardly act has already commenced and all perpetrators will be fished out and made to face the full wrath of the law,” he said. (NAN)

  • Breaking: Suspected bandits kill Marafa’s sister, abduct husband

    Armed bandits have attacked and killed Senator Kabiru Marafa’s sister and abducted her husband in Zamfara state.

     

    Details shortly...

  • Buhari shifts Zamfara campaign rally

    *We’ll campaign for you, Marafa tells Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has postponed his campaign rally earlier scheduled for Zamfara State on Sunday.

    The postponement of the rally is linked to the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had also released the final list of candidates for the March 2 Governorship and State House of Assembly election without any name for APC Governorship candidate for Zamfara State.

    The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina confirmed the postponement.

    Speaking with State House correspondents on the latest development, Senator kabiru Marafa, said “I am not aware of the cancellation of the APC Zamfara rally; honestly because I was not told. As I said, I just submitted a proposal which I think will serve the interest of our party, the president and our people.

    “We don’t have candidates for now because of the political impasse that characterised Zamfara State in the last few months and the president is billed to be in Zamfara on Sunday, Feb. 3

    “Because of the rumple between disagreeing parties, we felt it is better Mr President suspends his visit to Zamfara. After all, we are there; we can campaign for him; he knows us; he knows our individual capacities; there is no point bringing all the factions under one umbrella, because once the president is there, if you like the president and you are with him, you will like to show your face.

    “However, we feel it is avoidable; but you cannot come to the president with just one single suggestion. So. I just put my opinion across; that if it is a must; maybe the party has fixed Feb. 3 for the visit, then we want to be excused because there is no way President Muhammad Buhari will go to Zamfara and my face is not seen and people will not ask questions and I think it is not fair just to be absent like that.

    “We are not doing what we are doing to impress anybody; we have already gotten all the necessary trust and belief from Mr President even if he is not there, we will do the right thing.

    “But if the party or the Presidential Campaign Council feel they must be in Zamfara on Sunday, we and our supporters want to be excused and we will conduct our own rally for the president on a different date and we will televise it live on NTA so that everybody can see; so let everybody show his support in Zamfara not to come together and then everybody will be claiming victory that I pulled this crowd; let everybody stand on his own.

    “The most important thing is that we all believe in Mr President and we all like him and we will support him and we want him to win; so let us work individually, and Feb. 16, we will all converge on the box and show what we can do but let the people of Nigeria see us individually.” he added

    On way forward, he said “The way forward like we proposed before the State High Court in Zamfara that heard complaints from the governor and his side. The governor went to court and said he conducted primary elections, we joined the case and said no, you didn’t conduct elections because you don’t have the right; the constitutional powers to do so; it is not the size of your office that determines what you can do; it is the constitutions that specifies your functions and responsibilities.

    Read Also: Buhari in Kano: I’ll continue to fulfil my promises

    “State governors cannot conduct elections, state party chapters cannot conduct elections, so nobody except the National Working Committee of the political party especially our own–that is specifically mentioned in the constitution.

    “So, only the political party can conduct primary elections. So, we felt that APC needed to be represented; the people of Zamfara State needed to be given choice and they say variety is the spice of life; the more the variety, the better for the people.

    “However, that variety should not just come because a political party feels they must be there, no. Justice must prevail; you cannot exclude some people and claim that APC should not be included, no.

    “We asked the court that APC could not conduct primaries in Zamfara not because they cannot or they failed to do so. The issue was that there was a subsisting court order; this crisis started from the congresses that were conducted in April last year; two factions emerged—Yari had his own party executives, I have my own party executives.

    “However, the NWC then cleared the governor’s side and recognised it and we went to court that the process was flawed; that we were disenfranchised and we will not agree.

    “The court looked at the complaints because primary elections were approaching that time; it gave an order that both Marafa and the other faction should stay away from anything that has to do with party executives at the local level; so what that means is–the NWC only sends a panel of maybe 7, 10, 14 people but we require 441 local staff to conduct the primaries across the 147 wards of the state.

    “The first attempt on Oct. 3, we agreed that since these factions will not participate, how do we get staff? So, we said let’s use the Nigerian Union of Teachers(NUT). So, NUT provided the staff but however as the process began and the government saw it was losing, they unleashed mayhem; there was violence.

    “The chairman cancelled the elections. On the 7th when they came back, the NUT compromised somehow; they were put under pressure because they are under the state government.

    “So, we could not agree on the local organising committee that is the local staff. This is actually what stopped APC from conducting primaries. We now asked the court, the reason why we could not do was because there was no local staff; now that primary elections are over in all the states of the federation, APC can bring in staff from anywhere to conduct the primary election; so we asked the court, mandate APC to conduct fresh primaries and ask INEC to collect the result.

    “This is what we did, but the governor and his side did not want that because they cannot face the people in any election. They know if there are primaries, they will lose; so they now prayed to the court that prayer should not be granted. And the judge in his own wisdom granted their own prayers and rejected that part of the prayer.

    “So, we are now before the appeal court to say that Appeal Court should reconsider the judgement and give APC new lease of life; allow APC to conduct primaries; just one day is okay. We conduct primaries and submit the result to INEC.” he said

    He also expressed the hope that the Appeal Court will do justice to the people of Zamfara and to the various aspirants that purchased the forms at a very high cost.

  • Elections: Why Zamfara APC must not field candidates – Senator

    The Senator representing Zamfara Central, Kabiru Marafa, Tuesday insisted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State must not be allowed to field candidates in the February National Assembly and March governorship and House of Assembly elections.

    Marafa said that the ruling of an Abuja Federal High Court that Zamfara APC should not field candidates for the elections should be obeyed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Read Also:Why I left APC – Dogara

    The Senator who is also Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resource (Downstream) stated this at a press briefing in Abuja.

    He said that INEC should stand by its earlier position that the Zamfara State APC has no candidates for the elections due to the party’s failure to conduct primary elections within the time frame set for it.

    Marafa who is also a member of APC noted that allowing the party in Zamfara State to be on the ballot for National Assembly, governorship and State Assembly elections would be injustice of the highest order and must not be allowed.

    Marafa said: “I am a loyal and committed party man but my loyalty to the party has limitations especially in a situation where justice is required.

    “My loyalty first and foremost is to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, because we must have Nigeria before we can have the Senate or political parties.

    “So, my loyalty is first to my God and to my people. APC is not a religion. So, if APC decides that the worst APC candidate is better than the best other candidates from anywhere, I will respect them because they are in politics to field candidates to win elections.

    “But that cannot be true to me. So, I would go for the best for my people.

    “So, even if it means APC losing in Zamfara State, I don’t give a damn. After all, the crisis that we are in today started with the APC itself.

    “The governor (of Zamfara State) is going around whipping up sentiments that INEC should not accept the court judgment delivered in my favour because APC would lose Zamfara if the party did not present candidates for the election which to me is balderdash.”

    Marafa however assured that President Muhammadu Buhari would win in the State landslide without Governor Abdulaziz Yari’s input in anyway.

    He said, “Thank God President Muhammadu Buhari has broken the political barriers in the political space now. Before, it was the President that needs the governors. Today, the President does not need the governors to win elections; rather, they need him.

    “President Buhari is going to win Zamfara. He will stand by the truth. He is pained by what is happening in the state and he would want to see a change of leadership in Zamfara State.

    “I have not spoken with him on the issue but I believe that he will share the same view with me. It would be better to have a better person from another party (as governor in Zamfara) than to have a bad person from APC just because you want APC to win.

    “Of what benefit is an APC governor that will allow all these killings and corruption in Zamfara to continue?”

    He said that external influence in the matter of the state would fail as the people of the state know what is good for them.

    The Senator said that they were awaiting the decision of INEC since the electoral body said that it is studying the conflicting judgements on matter.

    He accused the state governor of procuring judgement from the state High Court in his (governor’s) favour.