No order to include YDP in polls – Court

Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court said he was embarrassed by the claim of the party executives at a press conference that his judgment of March 4, had ordered INEC to shift the polls and reprint ballot papers.The judge made the remark at the hearing of an application by INEC for stay of […]

Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court said he was embarrassed by the claim of the party executives at a press conference that his judgment of March 4, had ordered INEC to shift the polls and reprint ballot papers.
The judge made the remark at the hearing of an application by INEC for stay of execution in which it had appealed the judgment.
The court on March 4 ordered INEC to issue a Certificate of Registration to Young Democratic Party  (YDP) because it had fulfilled conditions for registration as prescribed in Section 78 (4) of the Electoral Act, 2010.
But the party asked the electoral body to either reprint the ballot papers with its name included, or reschedule the elections.
It then went ahead to schedule its primary elections for March 26 and 27, a day before the presidential election.
But Justice Mohammed yesterday expressed dismay over the claims by the executives of the YDP in various press briefings that the court ordered INEC to accommodate it in the polls.
He said he had received reactions from home and abroad adding that the party’s conduct had put the court in a very negative light.
 “As far as this court is concerned, no such orders were made. In fact even the plaintiff, the YDP, did not seek such reliefs from the court. It is therefore very unfortunate that the court is portrayed in a very negative perspective,” the judge said.
“One would have expected the persons concerned to approach the court to obtain certified true copies of the court judgment to see the orders made by the court.
“In the light of this embarrassing circumstance, learned senior counsel (Kelvin Nwufo (SAN) is directed to investigate this ugly development and bring the person or persons who made the press conferences to appear in the court to show where such orders were made.
“Failure which the court will not hesitate to charge any person who misrepresented its judgement for contempt,” he said.
The case has been adjourned to March 17 for hearing.