Ahead of the 2023 general election, the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) has called on the INEC to obey court order and replace candidates that left their party with their members’ list.
The issue: According to the NNPP’s National Chairman, Professor Rufai Ahmed Alkali, “Shekarau wrote a formal letter to INEC telling them that he has withdrawn from the race, while Joel Akanwa in Taraba State went to Court to swear an affidavit that he has left the party, and INEC said they are not dead they cannot be substituted.
“130 House of Assembly members and I believe some deputy governors also and that is why we are asking INEC to interpret the electoral act 2022 as amended,” he said.
NNPP pleads with INEC: The party on that premise has appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to, as a matter of urgency, comply with the court orders that give backing to the name substitution.
“In the same spirit, we most humbly urge the Commission to urgently comply with the Court orders expeditiously delivered by the courts so as to further build up the confidence of the political parties and the general public in the Commission’s unflinching and unwavering commitment to conducting free, fair and credible election in the 2023 general elections.
Using the law: He further argued that even though INEC has its guidelines, the Electoral Act 2022 supersedes that in terms of timeliness and others.
The chairman also thanked the Nigerian judiciary for being the last bastion of hope for the people and a pillar of democracy and democratic processes, especially as it concerns the 2023 general elections.