ABUJA – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, raised the alarm that the over 600 pending court cases arising from conduct of party primaries were delaying preparation and procurement of sensitive materials for the conduct of 2023 general elections.
It specifically expressed disappointment against a political party which served it about 70 court processes in a day seeking to compel the commission to accept the nomination or substitution of its candidates long after the deadline.
The electoral body said most of the pending cases bordered on the conduct of party primaries.
Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this, yesterday, at a capacity building workshop for over 300 judges that would handle disputes that would arise from the forthcoming elections.
Prof. Yakubu lamented that it was unhealthy for the commission to be battling pre-election matters, at a time it ought to be concerned with full-blown preparation for the necessary logistics for the conduct of the impending polls.
“Infact, just recently, one political party served over 70 court processes on the Commission, seeking to compel it to accept list of candidates, long after the time for nomination of candidates had elapsed.”
Regardless, Yakubu expressed resolve of the commission to comply with orders of court in strict adherence to judicial precedents.
“Strict adherence to the principle of stare-decisis (precedent) is critical for us as an election management body. A situation where a trial court tries to vary the decision of the Supreme Court, puts the Commission in a very difficult situation. The job of politicians is to be purely partisan, but our job as INEC and the Judiciary requires absolute neutrality, may God help us.”
