The Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Zamfara State, Alhaji Sani Shinkafi has described as a mockery of the judiciary and national disgrace, the decision of the former Governor of the state, Shaking Abdulaziz Yari, to challenge the decision of the Supreme Court sacking Alhaji Muktar Idris of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the elected governor of the state.
Shinkafi in a statement in Abuja said that the Yari-led APC in Zamfara state had aproched the apex court three previous times with the same results, noting that their insistence that the apex court should hear the matter a third time is ridiculous and childish.
According to him “Hon. Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari’s faction of the APC in Zamfara State expressed strong opposition to the 24th May, 2019 Supreme Court judgment and desperately proceeded to file an application for judicial review marked SC/377/2019 insisting that they did nothing wrong to be barred from contesting in the elections.
“However in a unanimous judgment by the Supreme Court on Monday 22nd July, 2019 a five-member panel led by Justice Bode Rhodes Vivor decided that the application lacked merit and should never have been filed.
“The Supreme Court held that it has no jurisdiction over the matter because anything that has to do with pre-election matter must be brought within 60days after a decision had been delivered on it”.
He reminded Yari that the Supreme Court cannot sit on appeal against it own decisions, noting that out of the desperation by Yari to re¬main in the corridors of power, he decided to recycle the suit and filed another application.
“This total disregard for the letters of 1999 constitution by Abdulaziz Yari’s APC faction has opened the doors for a plethora of cases to be brought back to the apex court for judicial review,” he said.
He said Yari’s attitude encouraged Hon. Emeka Ihedioha of Imo state and Chief David Lyon of Bay¬less state to seek for a judicial review of of their judgments
“This is unconstitutional and it will therefore create a situation where there is no an end to litigation in courts in Nigeria.
“This will make mockery of our hard earned democracy and national disgrace.
Shinkafi pointed out that “in both the cases of the APC in Zamfara and Bayelsa states, the question here should be who is actually to be blamed?
“This is a self inflicted injury as the party in both cases failed to either conduct a valid primary or field qualified candidates for the polls.
With¬out mincing words, Supreme Court in both cases made accurate findings as the blame lies with the party leadership as it had failed in its duties of providing qualified candidates for the elections.
“Going by the provisions of the provisions of Section 87 of the Electoral Act as amended it makes it compulsory for political parties to conduct primaries to select its candidates for an election. Shinkafi listed the constitutional provisions guiding party primary, stressing that “when the Supreme Court does its job by en¬forcing the compliance with the instruments that politicians commence their shenanigans”.
He said that the Oshomole-led leadership of the party should take the blame for the party’s misfortune, advising that they should accept the verdict in good faith.
