The Supreme Court has dismissed a motion by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State, seeking to review its judgment voiding the votes of the party in the March governorship election in the state.
A five-member panel of justices unanimously held that by virtue of Section 8(16) of the Supreme Court Rules, the apex court cannot sit on appeal in its own judgment.
The court, presided by Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, also ruled that the 60 days provided by Section 285(12) of the Nigerian Constitution, 1999, having expired, the Supreme Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the appeal.
The apex court also observed that the motion by the state APC faction against Senator Kabiru Marafa and 178 others is incompetent, having failed to attach all the copies of the judgement.
The apex court said the procedure was “abnormal” and “incurably incompetent.”
The Supreme Court had, in the judgement delivered on May 24, held that the party in the state failed to conduct primaries in accordance with the party rules.
In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Paul Adamu Galinje, the apex court declared all votes cast for the APC as “wasted votes”, and directed that all political parties with the second highest votes in the elections are elected to the various positions.
