Court cancels APC Zamfara North senatorial primary, gives party 14 days for fresh election

The Federal High Court in Gusau has ordered the All Progressives Congress (APC) to conduct another primary election for the Zamfara North Senatorial District.

Justice Hassan Dikko issued the order on Monday while delivering judgment in a suit challenging the legality of the party’s previous senatorial primary.

The court nullified the earlier exercise and directed the APC to organise a fresh primary within 14 days from the date of the judgment.

Justice Dikko reached the decision after considering the written submissions and arguments presented by the plaintiffs and defendants in the case.

Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, an APC senatorial aspirant who had challenged the earlier primary, welcomed the ruling.

“I appreciate the court’s decision; it has restored people’s confidence in the judiciary,” Shinkafi said.

He described the judgment as an important development for democracy, adding that the decision showed that Nigerians still had confidence in the judiciary.

Shinkafi had approached the Federal High Court to contest the legality of the APC primary held for Zamfara North during the party’s most recent primary elections in the state.

The ruling now requires the APC to return to the district and conduct a fresh exercise within the court-ordered 14-day period.