The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it has so far withdrawn 64 Certificates of Return and re-issued them to persons declared winners by courts of law, after the 2019 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this at the presentation of Certificates of Return to Zamfara State Governor-elect, Deputy governor-elect and members-elect of the National and State House of Assembly from the state.

“At the moment, there are 809 pre-election cases pending in various courts across the country challenging the conduct of primaries by political parties for the 2019 general elections.

“This is clearly more than the total number of petitions currently before the various election petition tribunals nationwide challenging the outcome of the main election.

“In our last update, the Commission reported that 25 Certificates of Return had been withdrawn and issued to persons declared winners by courts of law. Since then, three more certificates have been withdrawn by court order.

“With the Zamfara case, the figure has now risen to 64. In addition, the Commission is studying nine more judgments we were served in the last one week in which primary elections conducted by different political parties were upturned by the courts,’’ he said.

 

NAN