Presidential Election : From left, INEC Commissioner, Engr. Dr Nuru Yakubu, INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega and INEC National Commissioner Col. Mohammed Hammanga (rtd) addressing Pressmen on Presidential Election in Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.
By Innocent Anaba
The United Democratic Party, UDP and one of its candidates have dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, before a Federal High Court in Awka, Anambra State, over the listing of its candidate in the wrong state Constituency for the upcoming April 11 election into Anambra State House of Assembly.
In the suit, by their lawyer, Mr. Chijioke Emeka, both the aggrieved political party and its candidate, Mrs. Angela Nnaneme, are seeking an order compelling the INEC to list the party and its candidate for Anaocha II State Constituency.
According to the plaintiffs, UDP filed all the required forms and submitted them with a list in all of which Mrs. Nnaneme was presented as the party’s candidate for Anaocha II state constituency.
Surprisingly, INEC listed her for Anaocha I state constituency in its January 2015 list.
This prompted her to write a petition to INEC for correction, and the petition was stamped received by INEC in Awka.
Notwithstanding the petition, when INEC published a reviewed list in March, the error was not corrected as the candidate remained listed in the wrong constituency.
In her affidavit in support of the suit, Mrs. Nnaneme averred that after submitting her papers for Anaocha II, she had mobilized her campaign and carried on with selling her candidature to the people of Anaocha II, only to realize that the INEC had excluded her from the election.
She, therefore, prayed the court to compel INEC to redress the wrong, so she could be included.
Although INEC has been served with the processes, no date has been fixed for hearing of the suit.
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