INEC says Governor’s appeal document was incomplete

chika ebuzor

July 1, 2016 12:45 PM

A stay of execution would have stopped INEC from issuing a certificate of return to Uche Ogah as the new Abia Governor.

Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu.

The spokesman for the

A stay of execution would have stopped INEC from issuing a certificate of return to Uche Ogahas the new Abia Governor.

INEC said as a matter of policy, they had to recognise Ogah, based on the Abuja High court ruling ordering Ikpeazu to vacate office.

This is coming after the Attorney General of Abia State, Umeh Kalu slammed INEC for saying they did not receive the Abia Governor’s appeal.

According to Premium Times, the spokesman of INEC said “I discovered that INEC received Mr. Ikpeazu’s notice. However, it did not contain a motion or order of stay of execution. In the circumstance, and in deference to the previous court order, INEC as a responsible regulatory (body) has no recourse than to issue Mr. Ogah the certificate of return.

“By law, a certificate of return is supposed to be issued within one week. Also, the commission has decided as a matter of policy to obey all subsisting court orders. That means if the court were to issue a contradictory order, INEC has no option than to obey.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia state also declared that it will resist any attempt to inaugurate, Sampson Ogah, as the new Governor of the state.

chika ebuzor