BREAKING: Court strikes PDP out of Zamfara governorship elections

The courts decision against PDP: Delivering judgment this morning (Tuesday 08, 2022), Justice Aminu Bappa ruled that PDP will not field any candidate for the 2023 governorship election in the state.

Why PDP is cancelled from Zamfara elections: The court said it nullified the election because women were not represented as delegates which made the party conduct fresh elections with women delegates.

However, in the rerun primary election, Dauda Lawal Dare also won with over 400 votes and one of the contestants, Shehu Bakaoye again rejected the governorship primary election.

What you should know: This is the second time that the court will annul PDP governorship primary in Zamfara. The first time was in September.

Addressing newsmen after the ruling, Ibrahim Aliyu, counsel to the plaintiffs, expressed satisfaction with the verdict, describing it as a victory for Democracy.

Backstory: Lawal had polled 431 votes to win the governorship ticket in the party’s rerun primary held on May 25, 2022. Three other aspirants, Abubakar Nakwada, Wadatau Madawaki, and Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau, had earlier withdrawn from the race, alleging irregularities.

What is next for PDP: With Tuesday’s ruling, a fresh primary is expected to be conducted to produce a governorship candidate.

The final plot twist: The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had warned political parties that deadline for submission of governorship candidates for all 18 parties was July 15, 2022.