The All Progressives Congress (APC) says it has right to submit names of its candidates for elective positions in Zamfara state in 2019.
Lanre Onilu, national publicity secretary of party, who said this while speaking with reporters in Abuja on Wednesday, stressed that this was without prejudice to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s stance.
INEC had said APC was not eligible to field candidates for governorship, national assembly and state assembly positions in Zamfara.
The Commission, in a letter signed by Okechukwu Ndeche, its acting secretary, said the APC was not qualified to field candidates because it failed to conduct primaries in the state within the stipulated time frame.
But Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the party, had insisted that the party held primaries in Zamfara. He, however, said primary election was not the only mode prescribed for producing party candidates for elections in the 2010 amended Electoral Act.
“We submitted list of candidates for legislative elections in Zamfara state, if INEC did not take it, it is a different thing. We have a right to submit and INEC has the legal responsibility to receive,” Onilu told reporters.
“INEC cannot disqualify candidates we all know that. We have said clearly that whatever claim INEC is making is not correct and it is not a true representation of what happened, “ Onilu said.
He added that the APC would, however, continue to take progressive steps to ensure that INEC did “what was right” ahead of the 2019 general election.
On court ruling on the submission of governorship candidate for Imo, the APC national publicity secretary said the party would comply with the court decision.
He, however, noted that the submission of governorship candidates to INEC falls due on November 2, saying that the party still had time. “We will only decide who will be APC’s governorship candidate for Imo by November 2,“ the APC spokesman said.
