{"id":45062,"date":"2023-02-10T14:07:58","date_gmt":"2023-02-10T14:07:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/?p=45062"},"modified":"2023-02-10T14:07:58","modified_gmt":"2023-02-10T14:07:58","slug":"inec-seeks-nbas-help-in-handling-electoral-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/inec-seeks-nbas-help-in-handling-electoral-cases\/","title":{"rendered":"INEC Seeks NBA\u2019s Help in Handling Electoral Cases"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Independent National Electoral Commission has solicited the support of the Nigeria Bar Association in handling its numerous pre-electoral cases in courts across the country.<\/p>\n

The INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the call on Thursday when he hosted a delegation of the Nigerian Bar Association led by its President, Mr Yakubu Maikyau, at the commission\u2019s headquarters in Abuja.<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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He said as of Feb. 6, INEC had been joined in 1,241 intra-party lawsuits in different courts of law, not on elections conducted by INEC but on primaries conducted by political parties for the nomination of candidates for the 2023 general election.<\/p>\n

He said some of the cases had gone to the Federal High Court, some were before the Court of Appeal, and others were before the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn pre-election litigation alone, as at Monday this week, Feb. 6, INEC has been joined in 1,241 cases making us one of the most litigated against agencies in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese cases have nothing to do with elections conducted by INEC. They are primary elections conducted by political parties.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut each time they go to court, they join the commission and we have to engage either our own in-house lawyers or we transfer the cases out to external legal firms to represent the commission.<\/p>\n

\u201cOut of these 1,241 cases, over 300 are right now before the Court of Appeal. And 155 before the Supreme Court as at Monday this week,\u201d Yakubu said.<\/p>\n

He, therefore, requested the support of the NBA in handling some of the cases, particularly pro bono service to the nation.<\/p>\n

The chairman said the commission was not only committed to free, fair, credible and inclusive elections, but equally verifiable elections.<\/p>\n

Yakubu said that was why the commission over time had been working to deepen usage of technology in Nigeria elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not just those involved in the elections as coalition or returning officers, but even citizens must have access to results of election on election day.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is what we have been working for sometime now, our hope is that citizens will even know the outcome of elections before we make a formal declaration of results.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what has been encouraging us to strengthen and deepen the use of technology in elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe allegiance of the commission is to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and our loyalty is only to the people of Nigeria, the voters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe remain unshaken in ensuring that we deliver election that truly reflects the wishes of Nigerians,\u201d Yakubu said.<\/p>\n

Yakubu also called for the collaboration of the NBA with the commission in handling rising election litigations in the country.<\/p>\n

Speaking earlier, Maikyau assured that the NBA would assist INEC in protecting its independence and achieving its mandates.<\/p>\n

Maikyau commended the INEC chairman for boosting the confidence of Nigerians in the electoral system since he assumed office.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are solidly behind INEC and your administration and would not allow any thing to dent this process.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny attempt by anyone or any group of persons to intimidate, or harass INEC in the discharge of its constitutional responsibility please my Chairman just know that you can place a demand on NBA and give responsibility to help secure the independent INEC and the integrity of the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stressed that NBA remained a non-partisan association and would do everything possible to sanction any of its members that would tarnish its image.<\/p>\n

NAN<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Independent National Electoral Commission has solicited the support of the Nigeria Bar Association in handling its numerous pre-electoral cases in courts across the country. The INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the call on Thursday when he hosted a delegation of the Nigerian Bar Association led by its President, Mr Yakubu Maikyau, at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":45063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba-news","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t