Court stops INEC from publishing Masari’s name as guber candidate

Posted by admin INEC Politics, Katsina, Latest Politics, State News Friday, February 11th, 2011

The governorship ambition of a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari suffered a temporary set-back yesterday as an Abuja division of the Federal High Court, issued an interim order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from publishing his name as the standard bearer of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, in Katsina State, pending the hearing and determination of a suit challenging his candidacy.

The High Court which made the order sequel to an ex-parte application filed before it by forty-five aggrieved aspirants of the party in Katsina state, equally ordered the electoral body to refrain from acting upon list of CPC candidates for Katsina state, stressing that status-quo should be maintained on the matter pending when the substantive issues pending before the court are fully resolved.

The plaintiffs were led to court by a gubernatorial aspirant of the CPC in Katsina state, Mr Yakubu Lado, who had insisted that he floored the former speaker at the Governorship primary election that was conducted by the party in that state, just as he, alongside his co_litigants, prayed the high court to restrain INEC from accepting or giving recognition to Masari and others in the list of candidates submitted to it by the CPC, apart from them, contending that they are the bona_fide flag_bearers of the party having emerged victorious at the primary polls.

They sought the order via an ex-parte application filed on their behalf by, Chief Ricky Tarfa, SAN.

Granting the order yesterday, Justice Abdul Kafarati warned all the parties in the suit against doing anything capable of undermining the ‘Res’ of the substantive case pending before him.

Listed as Defendants in the matter were the CPC, its National Chairman, Tony Momoh, CPC chairman Katsina state, Yusha’u Armayau, the INEC, as well as the former speaker of the House of Reps, Aminu Bello Masari.

While Senator Abdu Umar Yandoma, Ahmed Sani Stores, Aminu Ashiru, Murtari Isah, Muntari Dandutse, Gambo Musa, Aminu Turkur, Tijani Awalu, Umar Abdu Dankama, Sani Lawal, Shehu Ibrahim, Basiru Musa and Sanusi Ali, were amongst those listed as plaintiffs in the suit.

Meantime, Justice Kafarati yesterday adjourned further hearing on the matter till February 16.

-Vanguardwp_posts