Jega raises alarm over abuse of court orders

Compass

4 March 2011

Jega raises alarm over abuse of court orders

•Commission discovers 500,000 double registration

CHAIRMAN of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, yesterday raised the alarm over conflicting orders from judges on the April general elections.

The number one electoral officer said that if something urgent was not done, such orders may truncate the polls.

Jega, who expressed his worries when former Ghanaian President, John Kuffour, led a delegation of the International Republican Institute (IRI) to the INEC headquarters in Abuja, said: “Ex parte orders hindered the success of past elections”.

According to him, increasing court orders have become a source of worry to the commission, ahead of the elections.

He said: “What is happening now is a very worrying situation. The commission had received series of court orders which have led to continuous substitution of candidates from political parties”.

He pleaded with the courts to seek fair hearing from INEC before issuing orders to the commission on the nomination of candidates.

He disclosed that the commission had over 200 court cases before it and about 70 of them are ex parte orders.