AA: Again Court orders INEC to recognize candidates presented by Omo-Aje

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday affirmed its earlier judgment compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to paste the names of all the candidates submitted to it by the national chairman of the Action Alliance (AA), Dr Adekunle Rufai Omoaje.
The court had on November 4, 2023 in a ruling delivered by Justice Z B Abubakar ordered INEC to recognize the candidates submitted to it for the presidency, National Assembly, governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections by Omoaje.
The court again reaffirmed the judgment on Monday directing INEC to recognize the candidates submitted to it by Omoaje and paste their names at its headquarters and all its state offices.
Besides, the court directed INEC to upload the names of the candidates on its website with immediate effect.
The lists include those who contested for the last Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections and those contesting the governorship and House of Assembly elections in all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Reacting to the judgement, the national chairman of the party, Dr Adekunle Rufai Omoaje said INEC had failed to respect court judgment in the past despite several judgments of the court that favoured him.
He said the INEC chairman, Prof Mamood Yakubu was hellbent at truncating the nation’s democracy through his flagrant disobedience to court orders, stressing that the actions of Yakubu are capable of undermining the confidence reposed in the electoral body.
He urged well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on INEC chairman to respect court orders and restrain from efforts aimed at undermining the nation’s democracy.