Court stops INEC from publishing names of PDP candidates

A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] from publishing names of candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] for national and state Assembly election from Ondo State.
The court, presided over by Justice Ahmed Mohammed, issued the order after listening to contempt proceedings initiated against the electoral body by the Olu Ogunye-led executive and some aspirants to the House of Representatives.
The contempt proceedings against INEC, the PDP, its National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, and the National Secretary, Wole Oladipo, emanated from an order of the court directing them to relate with the Ondo State PDP executive headed by Olu Ogunye in respect of the conduct of primaries and election.
But rather than comply with the said order of Justice Adeniyi Ademola, the alleged contemptnors received two lists of nominees from the PDP national body and the plaintiffs.
In moving the application for contempt on behalf of the plaintiffs, Prince Ajibola Oluyede insisted that INEC violated the order of the court made on December 18, 2014.
However, counsel to INEC, Ibrahim Bawa, argued that the commission was not in contempt of any court order, as there was no expresses order stopping INEC from receiving nomination list from the PDP national body.
Besides, he argued that the electoral body acted in accordance with the provisions of section 31 of the Electoral Act 2010.
According to him, “we are only guided by the position of the law that we should receive nomination list of candidates from the national headquarters of political parties.”
In his ruling, Justice Mohammed held that, “none of the parties should do anything that would render the subject matter of the suit a nugatory till Tuesday January 6, 2015.”
Mohammed, however, declined to pronounce on the contempt in view of the fact that there are divergent interpretations on the order issued by Justice Ademola by both counsels.
However, he said in view of the urgency of the matter and the time limit for submission of candidates’ list, there is the need to preserve the subject matter of the suit.