INEC fixes Adamawa supplementary gov’ship election for March 28

…As court vacates order

Andrew Orolua, Abuja

A High Court sitting in Yola, Adamawa State capital, on Tuesday, vacated its order stopping the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting supplementary Governorship election in the state.

In a prompt reaction, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed Thursday, March 28 to conduct the supplementary governorship election in Adamawa State.

The court order vacated its earlier order that had restrained INEC from conducting the supplementary governorship election in the state.

Justice Abdulaziz Waziri, who vacated the order during Tuesday hearing, held that the commission has a constitutional duty to conduct elections. He also held that “election is a constitutional matter; this court would not be used to breach the process.”

Reacting to the ruling, counsel to the second and third defendants, Joe Kyari Gadzama (SAN), said: “Half bread is better than none; the judge has vacated the ex-parte order but assumed jurisdiction in the substantive matter.

“I was at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday when the ruling about Bauchi governorship election was delivered and I’ve applied for a copy of the judgment to help guide his lordship on this matter.”

INEC’s Returning Officer in the state, Prof. Andrew Haruna, had declared the election inconclusive following the cancellation of 4,988 votes in 44 polling units spread across 14 local government areas of the state.

But the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Kassim Gaidam, announced on Tuesday afternoon during a chat with reporters at the INEC state office in Yola that the supplementary election will hold on Thursday 28.

He said the decision was taken after due consultation with the INEC headquarters in Abuja.

He said efforts were being made with the various security agencies to ensure that the violence, which characterised supplementary election in some other states, does not repeat itself in Adamawa.

He added that to facilitate a hitch-free process, only voters with PVCs will be allowed into voting centres in the places where the supplementary election will hold.

The supplementary governorship election in the state had been scheduled for 44 polling units in 14 local government areas where it could not hold on March 23.

It would be recalled that after the conduct of the governorship election on March 9, the candidate of the Movement for the Restoration and Defence of Democracy (MRDD), Rev. Eric Theman, went to the court to allege omission of the MRDD logo from the ballot paper, and asked the court to annul the election and stop the rerun already announced for units where voting was cancelled.

The court immediately granted an injunction to stop the rerun and continued proceedings to rule on arguments raised at subsequent sittings, including the court’s jurisdiction over the case.

At the sitting on Tuesday morning, the Court ruled that it has jurisdiction, lifted its injunction against the supplementary election, and adjourned today, March 27, to rule on the motion by the MRDD for the annulment of the March 9 election.