By Baron Ike with agency report
A new trend of using the court to stop announcement of election results emerged on Tuesday, as the All Progressive Congress (APC), latching on that has succeeded in stopping the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from going ahead to announce the results of Bauchi and Rivers states as earlier announced by the Commission.
Consequently, the Federal High Court Sitting in Abuja on Tuesday restrained the INEC from further collation of Rivers State governorship result. The same court gave a similar order in the case of Bauchi state.
The INEC had set Wednesday to continue collation of Rivers state governorship election result.
Acting on the prayer of an order of interlocutory injunction filed by the African Action Congress (AAC) and the governorship candidate of the party in the Rivers state governorship election, the court restrained INEC from further collating the result.
Earlier, a Federal High Court in Abuja also on Tuesday stopped the INEC from going ahead to collate and announce the results of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
Justice Inyang Ekwo gave the order while ruling on an exparte application filed by the APC and the Governor of Bauchi state, Mohammed Abubakar.
Justice Ekwo ruled that the exercise should be stopped pending the determination of the substantive suit.
The APC and Abubakar are asking the court for a declaration that INEC cannot review what a collation officer has cancelled.
They are also insisting that INEC, having made a pronouncement for a supplementary election, cannot go back on it.
They further maintained that the powers of the electoral officer, having declared the election inconclusive, could only be upturned by a court.
The court asked the parties to maintain the status quo until the substantive suit was heard and decided on.
The matter was adjourned until March 20 for definite hearing.
In compliance to the court order, the INEC on Tuesday said it has halted collation and announcement of results for governorship election held in Tafawa Balewa LGA of Bauchi State.
Commissioner for INEC in Bauchi, Ibrahim Abdullahi, acknowledged receipt of the court order on Tuesday.
He said: “The INEC has received receipt of a court order restraining it from proceeding with the collation and announcement of result in respect of Tafawa Balewa governorship constituency.”
He however said the commission would proceed with collation and announcement of results for Tafawa Balewa state constituency since the order only affected the governorship constituency.
.NAN