Not satisfied with the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to setup a committee to review the conduct of Imo North Senatoral District, Okigwe zone election, Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu has approached the court asking it to restrain the electoral umpire from taking further action on the Imo North Senatorial election.
In its ruling, a division of Federal high court Abuja presided by Justice Taiwo Taiwo on Wednesday 9th April restrained INEC from taking further action on the Imo North Senatorial election.
Justice Taiwo further ordered INEC to stay any further action pending the determination of the application “for prohibition”.
He also ordered Senator Uwajumogu to serve all the necessary processes on the respondents within three days, granting him permission to apply for judicial review of INEC’s decision.
Recall that the commission set up committee to investigate the issue surrounding Imo North Senatorial district election which the committee was expected to submit its report yesterday 9th of April.
A grapevine source revealed that the committee ordered INEC to collate the results of Ehime Mbano and Isiala Mbano which were yet to be collated. The commission also invalidated the purported declaration of Senator Uwajumogu as the winner of the election, saying that no winner was emerged.
Meanwhile, an election observer group, the Centre for Transparency Advocacy,CTA,has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to make official report to the Inspector General Police calling for Investigation and prosecution of Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu and Prof. Donatus Ohajianya,the returning officer in the February 23, 2019 National Assembly election for Imo North.
The organisation also tasked the electoral umpire to complete the collation of results of the Imo North Senatorial election and declare a winner.
Speaking through its Director, Legal and Documentation, Ohazuruike Tochukwu, CTA, insisted that making an official report to the Inspector General of Police calling for investigation and prosecution of Senator Uwajimogu and Prof. Donatus Ohajianya was the right thing to do by the commission. “INEC should know that where this type of criminal activity is allowed to go unpunished, politicians will in subsequent elections print their own result sheets and then struggle for who the Returning Officer will declare his own. It will permanently destroy the credibility and sanctity of our elections,” it said.
