A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to release the result of the February 23, 2019 National Assembly election for the Ajeromi-Ifelodum Federal Constituency of Lagos State.
The Justice Bello Kawu-led court also barred INEC from conducting a re-run poll for the constituency until the results already announced at the various polling units and collated alongside the result of the presidential election are declared in accordance with the extant provision of section 69 and 71 of the Electoral Act 2010.
Kawu gave the order while delivering judgment, in a suit marked FCT/HC/CV/1252/19, brought before him by one Hon. Rita Orji and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Justice Kawu held that any attempt by the electoral body to go ahead with the planned re-run election in the constituency without first declaring the already collated election results will over-reach the two applicants and other contestants for the House of Representatives seat for the constituency.
Respondents in the suit are, INEC, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Lagos, the All Progressives Congress APC, Hon. Kolawole Taiwo, Mr. Adeshola Adelaja and Mr. Ulocha Nnabugwu Oscar.
The planned re-run elections are slated for seven out of 11 polling units in the area.
Orji and PDP had dragged the six respondents before the Court praying for an order prohibiting them from going ahead with any re-run election in the absence of the Electoral Returning Officer for the constituency.
Their grouse was that they will be over-reached along with other contestants unless and until all the already collated results for the February 23 elections are declared by INEC in line with sections 69 and 71 of the electoral Act 2010.
Justice Kawu, in an enrollment order dated April 4, 2019 and signed by him and the Court registrar, Mr. Ebibrah Kingsley Okoroh, dismissed the objection of INEC and three others against the motion for lacking in merit and substance.
The Judge ordered INEC to pay the two applicants a sum of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira as cost of litigation.
