He is still on it.........
Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of setting a bad precedence by withholding his certificate of return after he had been declared winner of the Imo west senatorial election.
Okorocha said since the election had been concluded and a winner announced, the electoral umpire had no right not to issue him a certificate of return according to the laws governing elections in the country.
In a petition he filed at the commission’s head office, on Wednesday, Okorocha advised Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, not to reduce the commission to willing tool in the hands of political manipulators.
Recall that INEC had refused to issue a certificate of return to Okorocha despite being announced the winner of the election because Francis Ibeawuchi, the returning officer for the election, said the declaration of Okorocha as winner of the election was made under duress.
However, Okorocha argued in his petition that if there were issues with the election after the announcement of a winner, recourse ought to be made to election tribunals.
He said, “Section 285 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, states that there shall be established for the Federation one or more elections tribunal to be known as the National Assembly Elections Tribunal which shall, to the exclusion of any court or tribunal, have original jurisdiction to hear and determine petitions as to whether (a) any person has been validly elected as a member of the national Assembly,” he wrote.
“Section 133 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) provides that No election and return at an election under this Act shall be questioned in a manner other than by a petition complaining of an undue election or an undue return presented to the competent tribunal or court in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution or of this Act, and in which the person elected or returned is joined as a party.”
Okorocha asked where INEC derived the power to withhold certificate of return after a winner in an election had been announced.
He argued that the step taken by INEC is not known to law and advised the commission to seek redress in the law court rather than taking laws into its own hand.
Okorocha noted that INEC, in its counter-affidavit to the suit he filed at the federal high court to compel it to issue him his certificate of return, did not mention any allegation to the fact that his declaration was made under duress.
“In the replies filed by INEC to the petitions filed against me by Osita Izuanso, Jones Onyeyeri, Peoples Democratic Party and Uche Onyeoma Ibeh at the Election Tribunal in Owerri, INEC actually stated that my election was duly conducted and that the declaration and return made in my favour by the Returning Officer was voluntary and not due to any duress or coercion exerted on the Returning Officer,” he said.
from dailypost
INEC should not arrogate on itself the power and role of the judiciary. I bet you, Rochas will defeat INEC on this case. Is it stated in the electoral laws that INEC should withhold a certificate of return of a politician being declared winner?
ReplyDeleteThe best would have been the contestants against Rochas appealing the purported victory of Rochas at the tribunal using the INEC official as a witness.
Yes, this is a bad precedence set already in the nation democratic system.
Please read about it very well. The election was to be declared inconclusive as a result of over voting. His boys pointed a gun at the electoral officer to declare him. The man had no choice but to declare him with a clause. ORO don buy market INEC has refused to let it go
Delete😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😋😋😋😋😋😋😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀
ReplyDeleteIs he still on this matter?
ReplyDeleteThis man should go and sit down
ReplyDeleteVery soon this man ibeberism will sing.
ReplyDeleteInec your disgrace is coming. I read somewhere that inec has replaced all their servers
Which disgrace? Which server? Educate yourself on matter like this before you make comment.
DeleteDon, why not educate her if you have correct facts, counter her opinion with facts if you have, not asking which disgrace and which server.
DeleteHe will never get.
ReplyDeleteOshe, inec general secretary, holder of all inec certificates, decider of what happens in Nigeria's politics. Yeye.
DeleteHe will never get it. pointing a gun at an electoral officer to declare you winner is criminality
DeleteI don't care for the man. But, of all the issues that came up during the last elections, this was the only one they are holding grounds on. Why not hold Buhari's certificate of return since there were many complaints from states on political thuggery until facts can be ascertained. I could careless honestly as they are all one in the same, however, the holier than thou attitude of this country is laughable. Meanwhile, stella, please carry the news of women being thrown into jail by this man called Buhari. If he wants a sharia state, he needs 5o say so. I don't care for their lifestyle by the way but legit Young girls are being affected and the laws need to be clear as to what they want. Do not arrest women without arresting the men that patronize them.
ReplyDeleteThere is no complaints against him. His boys pointed a gun at the electoral officer and told him to declare him winner.
Deletelolzzzz ayaarrrr he is still dreaming I guess
ReplyDelete