18032019 - APC, PDP attack INEC over Bauchi, Adamawa gov polls

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2019—41
APC, PDP attack INEC over
Bauchi, Adamawa gov polls
Continues from Page 5
While the close
relationship between
Festus Okoye who chaired
the fact-finding committee
and Yakubu Dogara of the
PDP is well known, hence
inappropriate for the factfinding
exercise for Bauchi
state, INEC has failed to
adhere to the fundamental
principle of fair-hearing by
not inviting our agents
during the hearing to
ascertain the circumstances
leading to the cancellation
of the Tafawa Balewa local
government election result.
INEC’s decision is illegal
as the electoral body and
contravenes the provisions
of the Electoral Act 2010 as
amended
We reiterate that
according to Nigeria’s
1999 Constitution (as
amended) and INEC
Guidelines for 2019
General Elections, the
electoral body is not
empowered to reverse any
decision taken at the
Collation Centre by the
Returning Officer
appointed for that purpose.
Such decisions can only
be reversed by a court of
law, especially when INEC
cannot approbate and
reprobate.
Also, a national officer of
the APC, Yekini Nabena,
and the Bauchi State APC
Chairman, Mr. Uba Nana,
spoke in like manner.
At a press conference in
Bauchi, Mr. Uba said:
“The fact-finding
committee chaired by Dr.
Festus Okoye, the national
commissioner and
chairman of Information
and Voter Education
Committee, denied fair
hearing to APC as a
political party whose agents
were not invited during
hearing of the facts leading
to the cancellation of the
results of Tafawa Balewa
LGA. Any decision taken in
violation of fair hearing is
illegal, null and void.”
Nana claimed that no
justice can be done by the
committee chairman, who
is interested in the whole
issues and the instant
circumstances.
He said this was proved
by the fact that PDP and Mr
Dogara, on Facebook, preempted
the outcome of the
committee’s finding before
formal publication by
INEC.
The APC chairman said
that the decision of INEC
based on the committee’s
report was already prayed
for at the Federal High
Court, Bauchi in Suit No.
FHC/BAU/CS/18/2019 filed
by Bala Mohammed and
PDP against INEC.
“Unfortunately, the extant
decision of INEC reversing
the cancellation of Tafawa
Balewa Results was earlier
sought for but refused by
the court in the said suit at
interim stage. Now INEC
has granted what was
refused by the court of law
in the interest of injustice,”
he said.
I’ve never met Dogara –
Okoye
When contacted, INEC
National Commissioner,
Barr. Festus Okoye, denied
any relationship with
Speaker Yakubu Dogara,
saying they had never had
any dealing before.
He said: “That is very
laughable. I have never
met the Speaker in my life,”
adding that INEC has no
interest in who emerges the
governor of any state as its
preoccupation is to deliver
on its constitutional
mandate.
“INEC has no interest in
the outcome of the Bauchi
Governorship Election. The
interest of the Commission
revolves around making
sure that the procedures
and processes leading to the
declaration and return of
the winners of election
conforms to constitutional
dictates, the law and the
regulations and guidelines
of the commission.
“The Reports of
Investigation Committees
and Fact-Finding
Committees of the
Commission are reports
and can only become the
findings and decisions of
the Commission when
considered and adopted by
the commission.
“The Investigation
Committee that considered
the issues surrounding the
collation of results for
Tafawa Balewa Local
Government interviewed
the Registration Area
Collation Officers, the
Electoral Officer for Tafawa
Balewa Local Government
and located the critical
documents relating to the
election. APC, PDP, PRP
and NNPP attended and
canvassed their positions at
the stakeholders meeting
which was also attended by
the Commissioner of Police
and the State Director of
DSS.
“The Investigation
Committee was only
charged with the
responsibility of making
determination on whether
original and or duplicate
result sheets at the Polling
Units and the Registration
Areas exist with which to
regenerate the ones carted
away and or destroyed by
armed gangs during the
collation process in Tafawa
Balewa Local Government.
APC, PDP, PRP and NNPP
agents signed the results at
the Polling Units and the
Registration Areas.
“Moreover, the result from
7 Registration Areas out of
11 relating to Governorship
election had been collated
before the armed gangs
disrupted the process. So,
the issues were
straightforward. The
Commission will complete
the collation process on
Tuesday using original and
or duplicate result sheets
for Local Government
Collation and that is the
decision of the Commission.
“I find it out of place to
respond to personal attacks
and insinuations that are
not backed with cogent and
verifiable facts and
evidence. I am 34 years
post-call and the speaker
of the House of
Representatives is my
junior.
“Other than seeing him
on television, I have only
seen him physically from
a distance and only once
in a workshop. I was never
an ex-solicitor or a present
solicitor to the speaker.
Those making the
allegation cannot produce
one piece of paper I signed
as a solicitor or one
payment I received as a
solicitor.
“It will serve the country
better if people remain on
issues and refrain from
making wild allegations
that have no substance
whatsoever.”
Why we didn’t allow
Atiku inspect election
materials
Meanwhile, the INEC
has clarified its decision not
to allow the PDP
presidential candidate
inspect election materials.
Atiku headed to the court
after losing the February 23
election to President
Muhammadu Buhari of
the APC and filed an
application to compel
INEC to grant him access
to materials used for the
election and the court
granted his prayer.
However, the PDP said
INEC has refused to obey
the ruling of the appeal
court for Atiku to inspect
documents and materials
used for the election.
“There is a deliberate
and wicked ploy by INEC,
acting in cahoots with the
APC to frustrate the peoplebacked
resolve by Atiku
Abubakar and the PDP to
timeously file and mention
our petition at the
Presidential election
Tribunal, and by so doing,
ambush the case,” Kola
Ologbondiyan, spokesman
of the party, said in a
statement.
“It is imperative to inform
Nigerians that upon
obtaining the lawful order
of the Court, directing
INEC to forthwith, avail
Atiku Abubakar and the
PDP copies of all the
documents and other
materials used for the
Presidential election, our
legal team wrote to the
INEC Chairman on the
11th and 12th of March
2019 respectively, causing
the Order to be served on
INEC and requesting
access to the said
documents and materials.
“Despite being served
with the Order and several
follow-ups, the leadership
of INEC has refused to
grant the PDP and Atiku
Abubakar access to the
materials and documents,
notwithstanding the
urgency of the matter.
“This action by the
leadership of INEC has
further exposed that it has
been heavily compromised
by the Buhari Presidency
to rig the February 23, 2019
Presidential election and to
frustrate the quest by
Nigerians to reclaim the
mandate from President
Muhammadu Buhari and
CATHOLIC BISHOPS—Procession of Catholic Bishops, during the First
Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) at
the Resource Centre, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Abuja, yesterday.
save the nation from the
crisis of an illegitimate
government.”
The party accused the
leadership of INEC and
APC of seeking to frustrate
the court option, seeing that
“the documents and
materials will expressly
show that Atiku Abubakar
clearly won the election by
the votes directly delivered
at the polling units across
the country as well as
expose how the
commission and the Buhari
Presidency manipulated
the results for President
Buhari.”
We haven't received
court order – INEC
Asked to react, Rotimi
Oyekanmi, spokesman of
INEC Chairman, Professor
Mahmood Yakubu, told
TheCable that INEC will
comply with the court
directive “if and when the
commission receives the
order.”
His words: “It is common
knowledge that since the
declaration of the results of
the presidential election,
the commission has been
busy with the multiple
activities associated with
the national assembly,
governorship, state houses
of assembly and federal
capital territory elections.
“Only last Thursday, the
commission presented
certificates of return to
senators-elect and House of
Representatives Memberselects
including PDP
members. Nevertheless,
the commission will comply
when the due process is
followed.”
It’s wrong for INEC to
disobey court order on
Adamawa re-run– Ardo
Dr Umar Ardo, in a
statement, Sunday, in
Abuja, Dr Ardo said: “I just
read a news item that a Yola
High Court has issued an
order on INEC not to
proceed with its March 23
scheduled rerun election in
Adamawa State but the
commission is ignoring the
order, stating that the court
lacked jurisdiction over the
federal establishment and
would therefore go ahead
with the rerun election.
“In my opinion, if it is
actually true a court indeed
issued an order and INEC
refused to comply then
INEC is clearly at fault. It
is not only wrong but is a
clear path to anarchy.
Because if a court of
competent jurisdiction
gives an order, and it is
duly served, then we are all
duty bound to obey, no
matter how fallible that
order may be. This is an
irreducible element of due
process of rule of law on all
citizens, bodies and
authorities in society. To
come up with any selfinterpretation
of law as
excuse of disobedience is
simply self-serving, to say
the least. The court
obviously knows the
provisions of the law and
the extent of its jurisdictions
when it gave the order.
Under the Nigerian
constitution, it is not for
INEC nor for anyone else’s
for that matter, but for the
court’s, to interpret the
law”, he said.
According to him, since
the electoral umpire would
not respect the court order,
the Adamawa electorate
would do well to also
boycott the exercise.
“Consequently, if indeed
a court has issued an order
to INEC and it is duly
served, I strongly advise
that INEC complies with
the order if it does not want
to throw our society into
anarchy. INEC not
complying will only further
complicate issues and
project the commission as
pursuing a predetermined
agenda. If INEC has an
issue with such an order it
should appeal against it
within the due process of
law, but to ignore it blatantly
just because it doesn’t
agree with it is the highest
act of impunity. If we all
ignore and act against court
orders that we don’t agree
with, then we’ll have no
society to cohabit in. I am
sure neither the court nor
the society would
congratulate INEC for
disobeying court order. That
is my candid opinion and
advise to the commission.
“But if INEC insist on
disobeying this order then
I advise all concerned
political parties and the
Adamawa electorate, as
law abiding bodies and
citizens, to boycott the
exercise, not to indulge in
INEC’s act of impunity and
allow the commission to
trample the order all by
itself”, he stated.
Dr Ardo, who who was for
several times a
governorship aspirant on
the platform of the PDP, was
first appointed in 1999 to the
office of the Vice President
as Special Assistant (States
and Local Government
Affairs). He was
reappointed as Special
Assistant (Research and
Strategy) to the President
and Commander-in-Chief
in 2003.
Supplementary polls:
Buhari won’t influence,
change results——
Presidency
Meanwhile, the
Presidency, last night,
cautioned against what it
described as “a lot of the
hate spewing, incitement to
violence and the polarizing
statements by so-called
political leaders.”
The Presidency also said
it rejected unfair and
ridiculous criticisms of
President Muhammadu
Buhari’s apparent
disinterest in the upcoming
elections in some states by
party members who
wrongfully assume that the
President will abuse power
by changing results to
favour them.
A statement by the Senior
Special Assistant to the
President on Media and
Publicity, Malam Garba
Shehu in Abuja, stated that
past Presidents of Nigeria
were known to interfere in
inconclusive elections, and
that it was the reason why
party members appear to be
upset that the same thing was
not happening again in the
present situation in the
country.
According to the
presidential aide, “President
Buhari is a different kind of
leader. He swore to defend the
constitution and will not veer
off from that.”
He further said, “The
constitution of Nigeria gives
the President no such powers.
It is unfair and ridiculous to
criticise President Buhari for
not going against the
constitution.
“Party members in states
where there will be
supplementary elections then
need to be reminded that they
need to work hard to earn their
people’s votes, rather than
expect President Buhari to
manipulate INEC in their
favour.
“Interestingly, while
members of the ruling APC
party were criticising the
President for not interfering
on their behalf, members of
the opposition were
condemning the President
based on their assumptions
that he would definitely
interfere, as many in the
opposition did while in
power.”