The decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to obey the court order that status quo be maintained does not in any way mean a cessation of the process of recall of the senator representing Kogi-west, which has already commenced, the Commission said yesterday.
A National Commissioner and acting Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu, who made this known in a statement, said INEC will continue to diligently carry out its constitutional functions with candor and without fear, favour, affection or ill will.
“The attention of the Commission has been drawn to some media reports suggesting that INEC has halted the process of recall of the senator representing Kogi-west Senatorial District, Senator Dino Melaye. Some of the reports even claim that the Commission was being blackmailed into abandoning the process as a result of the Senate decision to probe the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TEFUND), where the present Chairman of INEC previously served as Executive Secretary”, he said.
Describing the reports as totally incorrect and mischievous, Ibeano said it was public knowledge that some registered voters from the Kogi-West Senatorial District approached the Commission on 21st June and submitted a petition to initiate the process of recalling the Senator representing their district.
Ibeano said after formally acknowledging receipt of the petition and also notifying the Senator about the development in writing, INEC, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Sections 69 and 110 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Section 116 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) on July 3 2017 formally announced the timetable and schedule of activities for the recall of the senator.
“The first activity in the schedule slated for 10th July, was the release of detailed guidelines for the recall, starting with the pasting of the Notice of Verification at the Kogi West Constituency (INEC Office in Lokoja).
However, on the same 10th July 2017, the Commission received an Order given by the Federal High Court, Abuja and dated 6th July 2017, directing the “parties to maintain the status quo till the determination of the plaintiff’s motion on notice,” in respect of the suit filed by the concerned senator, seeking orders of injunction against the Commission to stop it from acting on the petition by the registered voters of Kogi West Senatorial district”, he said.
He said it was in view of this situation that the Commission at its last weekly meeting decided that as a responsible organization and in line with its longstanding tradition, it should not be seen as disobeying a court order, however inappropriate it may consider the order.
“Surely, the decision of the Commission to obey the court order, pursue its timeous vacation and lay a complaint about the nature of the Federal High Court order to the Chief Justice of the Federation cannot, in any way, mean a cessation of the process of recall of the Senator, which has already commenced”, Ibeano said.
Credit: Daily Trust
