'Court's ruling vindicates our position on Kogi poll' - INEC

dimeji akinloye

December 4, 2015 9:45 PM

Dazang urged voters in the areas to go out and exercise their franchise.

INEC to conduct voter registration in Kogi, Bayelsa Sept. 2 to Sept. 7

INEC says the ruling of a Federal High Court in Abuja, ordering it to continue with Saturday’s supplementary governorship election in Kogi vindicated its position on the election.

The commission’s Deputy Director of Publicity, Mr Nick Dazang, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday that the commission welcomes the court judgment.

"The judgment vindicates the public notice that we issued and our resolve to conduct the election on Saturday.

"Our refrain is that nothing can stop us from conducting the election except a court ruling to the contrary and the court has said that we should go ahead.

"It is a vindication of our position’’, Dazang said.

On the burnt INEC office in Dekina Local Government Area in Kogi, Dazang said it will not affect the conduct of the election in the 91 polling units.

"It will not affect the election because it took place before we took sensitive materials there.

"The arson will not weaken our resolve to conduct a transparent election in Kogi.

"We are not deterred by that action. We will go on and conduct election in all affected polling units.’’

INEC declared Kogi governorship election inconclusive following the cancellation of the results of the results in 91 polling units involving 18 local government areas with 49,453 registered voters.

NAN recalls that a Federal High Court in Abuja had on Friday struck out five suits challenging the Nov. 21, governorship election in Kogi for lack of Jurisdiction.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole held that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suits being post-election matters which could only be determined by election petition tribunal.

Kolawole also struck out another suit filed by the running mate to the late Abubakar Audu in the Nov.21 governorship election in Kogi, Mr James Faleke.

Faleke had gone to the court to challenge the nomination of Yahaya Bello as Audu`s replacement by the APC for the Saturday supplementary election.

He also asked the court to declare him the substantive candidate of APC being a candidate who did not suffer any political incapacitation and by virtue of his position in the race.

Faleke also submitted that the interpretation of constitution could not be taken as an academic exercise.

Striking out Faleke's case, Kolawole said it could be heard and determined by election petition tribunal when constituted by the President of the Court of Appeal.

The plaintiffs also asked the court among other things, to determine the validity of the supplementary election to be conducted by INEC in the state.

dimeji akinloye