By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA — Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has initiated contempt proceeding against the Chairman of the  Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, for allegedly flouting an order of a Federal High Court in Abuja in relation to the outcome of its National Assembly primaries in Anambra State.

Jega

Anambra State chapter of the party, in a motion for committal filed before the high court on  December 31, 2014, accused Professor Jega of disobeying a subsisting court order.

It noted that the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court had  on December 5, expressly restrained INEC   from accepting “any delegate list or nominated candidates” from the congresses or primaries conducted by the caretaker committee that was purportedly set up by the party’s national leadership to manage the affairs of the Anambra PDP.

Justice Evoh Chukwu of the High Court, Abuja had in his judgement on a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/854/2014, filed by the Chairman and Legal Secretary of Anambra PDP – Ejike Oguebego and Chuks Okoye – (for themselves and the state’s Executive Committee of the party), affirmed the plaintiffs’ as leaders of the party in the state.

Justice Chukwu equally declared the caretaker committee illegal on the ground that it was wrongly constituted while the tenure of the Oguebego-led executive was yet to expire.

Consequently, he restrained INEC and its agents from accepting any delegate list or nominated candidates from primaries or congresses conducted by the said illegal committee.

Following alleged refusal of INEC to comply with the court order, the party, in a motion on notice filed by its lawyer, Mr. Taiwo Abe, is among other things, seeking for “an order committing Prof Attahiru Jega, Chairman, INEC, to prison for contempt of court, for disobeying and refusing to comply with the order of this court made on December 5, 2014 and served on him on December 8, 2014.”

It is also seeking an order directing INEC, “particularly its Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega – contemnor, to comply forthwith with the orders of the court”.

The Anambra PDP led by Oguebego hinged its prayers on the grounds that INEC and its Chairman were yet to obey the order, a situation they claimed had adversely affected the nominated candidates that emerged from the National Assembly primary it conducted.

“Except the order sought for in this application is granted, the 2nd defendant (INEC), particularly its Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega will continue to disobey and refuse to comply with the orders except they are compelled to do so,” the applicants insisted.

Meanwhile, when the matter came up on December 31, the vacation judge at the High Court, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, ordered the service of the processes in relation to the committal proceedings and hearing notices on INEC and Prof. Jega.

Justice Mohammed subsequently adjourned further proceedings in the case to January 7.