By Okey Ndiribe

A professor of law at the University of Lagos and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ado-Ekiti  (UNAD)   Akin Oyebode has condemned Saturday’s gubernatorial election held in Anambra State by  the  Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in defiance of a Federal High Court order.

In a telephone interview,  he stated that based on INEC’s present composition the entire election  might end up as a nullity because the electoral body did  not satisfy the requirement for it to carry out its constitutional  duties

Said he: “ I think  the \Federal  High Court decision  barring the Independent National Electoral Commission from going ahead with conducting  yesterday’s gubernatorial election in Anambra State  based on the INEC’s present composition  is  good law. By going ahead to conduct the election despite  the court order,  INEC  behaved irresponsibly.”

He continued: “ This is  because at the end of the day whatever transpired  in Anambra State yesterday  could be nullified. It is obvious that the condition precedent to INEC conducting any successful election had not been fulfilled. I think Maurice Iwu wants to play Humphrey Nwosu  but the circumstances are different between the order of Justice Ikpeme Bassey on the  conduct of the June 12 1993 presidential elections based on the prayer of Association for Better Nigeria ( ABN) and the present case .What  the judge said  was that INEC was incapacitated because of the lack of a requisite number of commissioners for it to act.”

“In fact Maurice Iwu might be skating on thin ice and this might be the  thing that would do him in. When you are skating on thin ice you are likely to fall. He needs to be properly guided. He needs a good lawyer to guide him out of this conundrum. I am not sure he has been properly advised “ he said.