Abia AG Says INEC Lied over Notice of Appeal

Thu, Jun 30, 2016
By publisher
3 MIN READ

BREAKING NEWS, Politics

– 

UMEH Kalu, attorney-general of Abia state has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of lying that it did not receive the notice of appeal restricting it from issuing a certificate of return to Uche Ogar.

Contrary to claims by the INEC, that they did not receive any notice of appeal from Governor Okezie Ikpeazu or an injunction stopping the it  from issuing a Certificate of Return to Ugah, the Attorney General of Abia State, has provided evidence to dispute such claims.

Documents made available to Realnews, showed  proof that  INEC received the two important court papers and it was signed for by Saleh N. Ibrahim, senior clerical officer in the Legal Services Department of the Commission’s Headquarters, Abuja.

“It’s unfortunate that INEC said that it was not served. But the truth is that they were served. I have a proof to that. Saleh N. Ibrahim, Senior Clerical Officer at the Legal Services Department of the Commission’s Headquarters, Abuja, who stamped the Notice of Appeal and Injunction with the Commission’s official stamp by 12.50pm on Wednesday, June 29, 2016.

“With the foregoing, it is now clear that the Commission had no reason or cause to proceed with their dangerous action of issuing a Certificate of Return to Dr. Uche Ogah when it was clearly in receipt of a Notice of Appeal and Stay of Execution expressly forbidding them from taking any further action on the Judgment of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court pending the determination of the Appeal in the case.

“It is rather surprising that the Commission could lend itself to be used for an act capable of destabilising a State in Nigeria with the attendant consequences for anarchy and breakdown of law and order,” Kalu said.

This is why the Abia State government is insisting for the umpteenth time that Okezie Ikpeazu remains the governor of Abia State irrespective of whatever order was issued by the Federal High Court and the consequential actions of the Independent National Electoral Commission pending the full exhaustion of all judicial avenues of seeking redress.

Abia State is a peaceful State consisting of law-abiding citizens but their patience should not be stretched and their civility taken for granted. The citizens of Abia State will resist any attempt to subvert their will which they freely expressed at the polls and which was affirmed by the Supreme Court, the state government said.

— June 30, 2016 @ 7:50 GMT

|

Tags: