2019: Court turns down AAC’s application to halt collation, announcement of results

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has denied an application filed by the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Biokpomabo Awara, seeking to stop the collation of results for the March 9 Rivers State Governorship and House of Assembly elections.

Justice Ekwo held that the application brought before the court is such that the court cannot grant without hearing from the other party.

The plaintiff represented by Tawo Tawo, in an ex-parte application, prayed for an order to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), from going ahead to resume, conclude and announce the results. But the judge after listening to the submission of the plaintiffs chose not to grant their prayers.

Instead, the Judge ordered the plaintiffs to put the respondents on notice on the suit and fixed March 25, for both the plaintiff and respondents to appear before him to present their position.

Earlier, Justice Ekwo drew the attention of the plaintiffs’ counsel to news making the rounds that he had already stopped the electoral body from going ahead to take further action.

The judge also drew the attention of the senior counsel to a name Inyang Ewa, who granted the purported order, but the counsel denied the existence of such name as any Federal High Court judge.

Justice Ekwo subsequently reprimanded those behind the fake news, adding that it was wrong for anybody or group to resort to self-help because such had been prohibited in the judiciary.

The plaintiffs had in their originating summons prayed the court to stop INEC from resuming collation and conclusion of the March 9 election results in rivers state and from declaring any person or group as winners of the poll.

The plaintiffs specifically applied for an order compelling the electoral body to maintain the inconclusiveness of the election as announced earlier.