The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, set aside the ruling of the Federal High Court which favoured the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to exclude the All Progressives Congress, APC, from fielding candidates for Zamfara State in the general election.
The electoral body had based its decision to prevent the candidates on the failure of the party to conducts its primaries for the emergence of its candidates within the given time.
But in its ruling on Thursday, the three-man panel of the Court of Appeal headed by Justice Abdul Aboki said the Federal High Court erred.
According to the Court of Appeal, the Federal High Court had no authority to take the suit filed by INEC as it was not filed within the stipulated 14 days required by law.
The suit was said to have been filed on the 15th day, thus exceeding the time the action should have been taken.
The court ruled: “The suit is hereby struck out for lack of want of jurisdiction on the part of the lower court. The judgement of the lower court is hereby set aside.”
