Zamfara APC: Supreme Court Receives Records Of Appeal

By Dansu Peter

The Supreme Court has received the records of appeal in the appeal filed by the governor-elect of Zamfara state, Alhaji Mukhtar Shehu
and 37 others challenging the judgement of the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division.


The appeal court had about three weeks ago ruled that there was irregularities in the conduct of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state.

Though, the court has received records of appeal, findings at the Registry of the court revealed that no date has been fixed for the hearing of the appeal.

One of the officials at the Registry of the apex court said parties in the suit are exepected to file, serve and exchange briefs before a date can be fixed for the hearing of the matter.

The case has also led to the non- issuance of certificate of return to the Governor-elect, Idris,  and other members of the State House of Assembly.

The Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), withheld the certificate the All Progressive Congress (APC) elected candidates in Zamfara, after the elections.

However, because of the urgency of the matter, the source revealed that the court may likely to abridge the stipulated time frame.

'' The Supreme Court may abridge the time for parties to file and serve their processes because of the urgency of matter,'' the source said.

Last week, the governir-elect, write to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, drawing its attention to the notice of appeal filed at the Supreme Court.

In a letter dated 2nd April, Alhaji Idris, had through his counsel,  Mahmud Magaji, SAN, said that the purported judgement of the court of appeal, has no any positive or direct order.

He argued that assuming there is even a court order arising from the said judgement, they still have 21 days within which to appeal, thus, putting into abeyance the said judgement until after the laps of the said 21days.

He maintained that in the case at hand, the party (APC Zamfara) still have 21days existing side by side with their constitutional right of appeal.