BY GODWIN OBI
The All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, have instituted a suit to restrain the Labour Party (LP) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from doing anything to stop the collation and announcement of the results of the February 25 presidential election.
In the suit filed before the Federal High Court in Kano and marked FHC/KN/CS/43/2023, the Action Alliance and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were joined as defendants while the Vice Presidential of the APC, Kashim Shettima, was also listed as plaintiff.
The plaintiffs in a motion on notice filed alongside the originating summons, asked the court to make the order restraining the defendants from stopping the collation and announcement of the results because “damages will not adequately compensate for the injury that may be occasioned on the Plaintiffs if the Defendants stop the collation of the result.”
However, the High Court has fixed March 3rd for the hearing of the case.
Meanwhile, the Atiku-Okowa Campaign Organization has insisted that the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) cannot continue with the collation of the results of the February 25 presidential poll in the absence of political parties.
The spokesman of the campaign, Daniel Bwala, in a statement on Tuesday, said the conduct of the election has attracted criticism across the board, over alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) collation agents as well as those of three other political parties had walked out of the National Collation Centre in Abuja, on Monday over alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act by INEC in the collation process.
He said the development has led to a “constitutional logjam”, noting that “what is clear and undisputed to all at this stage is that INEC is refusing to address the observed problems and objections that have been widely expressed.”
Bwala added that ” let’s be clear, the election is inconclusive and the INEC Chairman cannot proceed without the political parties being present to object or accept the results at the national collation exercise. No court of law hears and determines a matter in the absence of necessary parties. Therefore the options available to the INEC chairman in law, fairness, transparency, equity and good conscience are thus:
“Suspend national collation immediately and address the complaints raised by parties relating to BVAS bypass and electronic transmission of results.
“Set a date for the conduct of elections in the affected places and ensure results are uploaded as contained in the guidelines. The said elections must be free and fair and BVAS used accordingly
“Cancel all the collated and announced results so far until such a time when all the results collated at the polling units alone be uploaded to the INEC server.
“Declare this election inconclusive and set a date for the conduct of elections that addresses areas where BVAS was not used and where violence occurred which suppress the voting rights of the people
“Address the Nigerian public in a televised speech on the sanctity of the processes and integrity of his person to regain the confidence of the Nigerian people and the international community.”
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