Gov’ship poll: Court orders inclusion of excluded PPP candidates in Kano, Rivers

An FCT High Court has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to include the names of candidates of the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) for the March 9 governorship elections in Kano and Rivers states. The governorship candidate of the PPP in Kano State, Hadiza Lawan Saba and her counterpart in Rivers State, Clifford Edanuko […]

An FCT High Court has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to include the names of candidates of the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) for the March 9 governorship elections in Kano and Rivers states.

The governorship candidate of the PPP in Kano State, Hadiza Lawan Saba and her counterpart in Rivers State, Clifford Edanuko and their running mates, were allegedly rejected by INEC when they were brought 60 days to the election.

In an originating summons brought by the Legal Adviser of the party on January 21, Chibuzor Ezike, the party contended that INEC lacks the power to reject any candidate of political parties brought to it 60 days to an election under the provisions of Section 31(1) of the Electoral Act, 2010 as amended.

Delivering judgment, Justice Binta Muhammed held that the rejection of the PPP candidates in Kano and Rivers states respectively is ultra vires of the power of INEC and in breach of Section 31(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and as such null and void.

Justice Muhammed subsequently made an order “directing and or mandating the defendant to include the names of the 1st and 2nd defendant plaintiffs in the ballot papers as candidates of the 1st plaintiff (PPP) in Kano and Rivers State respectively.”

“This honourable court will want to point out and reiterate that names of the respective political parties that are listed on the ballot papers, and consequently the court hereby directs that name of 1st plaintiff as the political party being PEOPLES PROGRESSIVE PARTY is to be included by the 1st defendant on the ballot papers as requested.”

The court however refused the application for the payment of N2bn damages over to the PPP over the unlawful rejection and or exclusion of the governorship candidates.