2011: Political parties threaten elections •Ask court to nullify INEC’s election timetable

Posted by admin Elections 2011, Headlines Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

THE 2011 general election may have started experiencing hiccups amid plans to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting the elections based on the timetable it released some weeks ago.

Indications to this effect emerged on Monday, following a motion filed in an Abuja Federal High Court by some political parties, led by the National Democratic Party (NDP) asking it to stop INEC from using the second timetable for the conduct of the 2011 general election.

The political parties which took INEC to court include African Liberatioin Party (ALP), African Redemption Party ARP), National Unity Party NUP), and Nigerian for Democracy Party.

The political parties also filed originating summons seeking an interlocutory injunction for speedy hearing of the case, in order to prevent political parties from conducting their primaries based on the latest timetable released by INEC.

The political parties, in their prayers, requested the court to declare the power of INEC to issue a new time-table for elections null and void and ultra vires, in line with section 133(3) of the 1999 Constitution and section 38 of the Electoral Act 2010.

The NDP chairman, Prince Chudi Chukwuani in a statement said the political parties took the case to court on the basis that nomination of candidates for the 2011 general election had closed since October 30, 2010.

He said the NDP was the only party that complied with the provision of the law on the general election based on the initial timetable released by INEC having conducted its primaries before October 20.

The court has, however, scheduled hearing of the petition by the parties till tomorrow, with indication that it would rule on the prayers sought before political parties begin to hold primaries for different grades of aspirants to elective offices.

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had last week released its own guidelines for the conduct of its primaries, indicating that the process would start on January 3 with state Houses of Assembly, followed by the National Assembly primaries on January 5, and the governorship on January 9, while the presidential primaries would be held on January 13.

The spokesman for the parties said it took the decision having been encouraged by the manner the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) used the legal option to challenge the rigging of the 2007 elections and how it fought back to reclaim the states where it won elections, mostly in the South-West.wp_posts