INEC ACCEPTS COURT VERDICT ON DELTA PDP

By Ben Agande
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has accepted the Federal High Court judgment by Justice Abdu-Kafarati which directed that the commission should recognise the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Delta State executive led by Chief Peter Nwaobosshi, saying it would not appeal the judgment.

In a chat with journalists in Abuja, National Commissioner in Charge of Legal Services, Mr Philip Umeadi, said since the commission had nothing at stake, there was no need for any appeal.

Justice Abdu-Kafarati  had dismissed the letters from INEC dated June 23, 2010 and September 23, 2010 which said the congress in Delta State was not acceptable to it and directed that a fresh congress be conducted.

But in his reaction,  Umeadi said: 'INEC will not appeal the said judgment of the Federal High Court presided by Justice Abdu-Kafarati. The commission will not appeal the judgment because we have nothing at stake.

The INEC commissioner noted that  as a product of the law, the commission will 'obey all court orders as properly constituted and therefore this judgment, the commission will abide with. We have nothing at stake. What the court say, we will do and that is what the Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega told a recent meeting of the chairmen of registered political parties in the court.'

It was gathered that in order to give vent to the judgement, the national secretariat of the PDP was formally served  the judgement of the court.

In the enrolled order dated December 13 2010, the Federal High Court said, 'Pursuant to the provisions of the PDP constitution, the plaintiff's tenure of office is valid and subsisting.

'The defendants, by themselves, their servants, officers, agents, privies or otherwise howsoever are restrained from interfering with the plaintiffs position as the officers/members of the state executive committee of PDP, Delta state.

'The First defendant (INEC) is restrained from refusing to recognize or accept any candidates sponsored by the PDP Delta state under the recognition of the plaintiff as duly constituted State Executive Committee of the PDP in Delta state in the forth coming 2011 General election during the tenure of office of the Plaintiffs as members of the State Executive committee of PDP in Delta state of Nigeria.'