Lagos cleric, Rev. Chris Okotie-led Fresh Democratic Party may use judicial means to stop the forthcoming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States, if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fails to restore its registration.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja had ruled in favor of Fresh Democratic Party in a suit filed against INEC and others on July 29, 2013 challenging the party’s de-regustraion. But in a curious twist INEC had filed and abandoned a notice of appeal against the judgment.
Addressing newsmen in Lagos recently, the party’s national legal adviser, Kola Dopamu, lamented that Fresh Party’s effort had been put in a limbo by the development.
“INEC decided to appeal and made half effort at that! They filed the notice of appeal and abandoned it. It took INEC about five months after the judgment to file this ill-fated appeal. After this, they went to sleep.For emphasis, notice of appeal is merely an intention shown to appeal a judgment.
“There are other procedures that an appellant must necessarily follow before an appeal can rightly be said to exist. As we speak now, the said appeal is comatose and dead.,” he declared.
Continuing, he reasoned that INEC should have given effect to the court’s order by allowing the party to fully participate in the political process.
“Alas, that was not to be. INEC refused to give recognition to our party in sharp contrast to the judgment of a competent court and the constitution that they all profess to uphold. Before the conduct of the last gubernatorial election in Anambra State, our party members in the state who were interested in contesting the post were disappointed that the ballot paper contained only names of 25 political parties.
Fresh Democratic Party’s name was conspicuously missing.
However, the party’s lawyer, Mr Fred Agbaje said the party may be forced to stop all elections, starting from the Osun and Ekiti guber polls, to force INEC to comply with the court order.
According to him, this was in view of the fact that INEC was abusing the gentlemanly posture of Fresh Democratic Party.
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