Court Dismisses Suit Seeking To Stop Election Results Collation In Rivers  

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday dismissed a suit filed by the African Action Congress and three of its members seeking to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission from concluding and collating the results of the March 9, 2019 governorship and House of Assembly Elections in Rivers State.

Dismissing the suit in a judgment, Justice Inyang Ekwo upheld the preliminary objection filed by the Peoples Democratic Party to challenge the jurisdiction of the court to hear the case.

The judge agreed with the PDP that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case adjudge to be seeking post-election prayers which could only be entertained by an election petition tribunal.

He held that the suit was an attempt by the plaintiffs to make the court constitute itself into an election petition tribunal.

The plaintiffs who filed the suit marked FHC/ ABJ/CS/303/2019, were AAC, its governorship candidate in Rivers State, Biokpomabo Awara, and  Ben-Gurion John Peter.

The respondents to the suit which was filed on March 18, 2019 were the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Peoples Democratic Party.

The plaintiffs, had in their suit, challenged INEC’s decision to resume the announcement of the results of the election which it had earlier said was marred by violence and irregularities.

The had contended that the credibility of the election had been impugned by violence, disruption and appointment of PDP’s members by INEC in the conduct of the election, therefore, the electoral body ought to conduct a fresh election.-Punch