Why INEC stayed action on North senatorial election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that it was staying action on the controversial Imo North Senatorial elections as a result of a court case instituted against it by one of the parties.

INEC National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, in a statement on Tuesday evening, explained that although the commission had received the report of a committee it set up to probe the conduct of the Imo North senatorial election and recommend the way forward, it would stay action.

Haruna said, “Further to our statement of 4th April 2019 on the setting up of a committee by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate the veracity or otherwise of allegations of misconduct in the Imo North Senatorial election, the commission wishes to inform the public that the Committee has completed its assignment.”

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“However, the Commission has been served with an ex parte order halting further action on the matter.

“The order, issued by the Federal High Court Abuja on 9th April 2019, specifically ordered the Commission to stay ‘all further proceedings and actions by the Respondent (INEC) pertaining, relating or connected with the declaration of Imo North Senatorial District election results of 23rd February and 9th March 2019, pending the determination of the application for prohibition’.

“The case, which was instituted by Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu, the All Progressives Congress APC candidate against INEC a day after it set up the Committee, has been adjourned to 30th April 2019 for hearing”, the commission added.