Former governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha, may just have had
a temporary reprieve from retrieving his certificate of return from
the Independent National Electoral Commission as senator-elect for
Imo West.
This is because INEC is planning to appeal the judgment on 7
June by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court that ordered
it to issue the certificate.
Festus Okoye, a National Commissioner of INEC and chairman of
the Information and Voter Education Committee said the commission
has reservations about Abang’s order as there were two
contradictory judgments earlier given by two courts in Imo state,
which have concurrent jurisdiction with the Federal High Court.
The commission recalled two restraining orders issued by the
courts. One in suit No HOW/596/2019 issued on 23 May and another
order issued on Tuesday 11 June, in suit No HOW/663/2019.
” It is noted that both are interim orders issued ex parte and
not final order of court”, Okoye said.
” In obeying the judgment(Okon Abang’s), the commission is
demonstrating once again its longstanding commitment of complying
with all orders of court, including those which it may have
reservations.
“However the commission must put on record its very profound
concerns about the likely consequences of this judgment for our
electoral process, in particular and our democracy in general.
Obviously, persons who seek elective offices could perceive in this
judgment an irrelevance of due process and acting within the law.
It is not far fetched that some of them could in future disregard
laid down processes, including voting, arm themselves and mobilise
thugs and compel returning officers to declare them elected,
irrespective of true outcomes of the elections. Moreover, it may
become increasingly difficult for the commission
to convince its officials that they are safe to carry out their
legitimate functions without fear of being harassed, held to ransom
or visited with bodily harm”.
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