I never asked INEC to postpone elections in Zamfara

Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), has refuted media reports that he directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reschedule all forthcoming elections apart from the presidential poll in Zamfara State.

Reports have claimed that the AGF in a three-page letter dated February 13, 2019 and addressed to INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, had told him to postpone elections in Zamfara to enable the All Progressives Congress (APC) field candidates for the 2019 elections in the state.

But responding in a statement by his special assistant, media and publicity, Salihu Isah, Malami described the reports as false and misleading, explaining that he only asked the INEC to extend the time within which the APC might field candidates in the forthcoming elections in the state.

“The attention of the Office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has been drawn to a recent publication by certain social media and conventional news outlets stating that this Office had purportedly requested the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the elections in Zamfara State.

“The Office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation wishes to emphatically reiterate that this report is false and misleading.

“In our letter dated February 13, 2019 addressed to the INEC chairman, the Honourable Attorney of the Federation in reacting to a petition from M.A Mahmud informing this Office of the subsisting Court of Appeal decision in CA/S/22/2019 which effectively upheld the APC primaries in Zamfara state, wrote to INEC informing them of this development and requested the commission to comply by extending the time within which the political party might field candidates in the gubernatorial elections,” the statement read in part.

There have been different court rulings on the matter both in favour and against the party, since the state’s chapter of APC dragged the matter to court.

However an Appeal Court in Sokoto is said to have on Wednesday dismissed the appeal of the appellants challenging the judgment of Zamfara High Court which mandated INEC to recognise the APC candidates from the state.