THE case instituted by the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), seeking an order of the Federal High Court, Abuja, restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from creating the controversial 30,000 polling units on behalf of Nigerians comes up today.
Inspite of the case, it was learnt that the chairman of the commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, had decided to go ahead with a meeting fixed for today with resident electoral commissioners (RECs) over the matter, even as the case is going on in court.
Political watchers are of the view that the INEC boss and others are pretending that there is no case in court or would rather make nonsense of the court hearing.
Leader of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Dr Frederick Fasehun, on behalf of UPN, dragged Professor Jega and the commission before the Abuja division of the Federal High Court over the matter, arguing that the allocation of 21,615 to the North and 8,412 to the South was irregular.
Fasehun, in the suit, asked the court to, as a matter of urgency, put a stop to the plan, declaring that the purported creation of additional 30,000 polling units by INEC was not only ultra vires, unconstitutional, mala fide, null, but void and had no effect whatsoever.
He said the allocation of what he termed a mere 8,412 polling units to the South, out of 30,000 additional polling units, was discriminatory.
In the suit filed on its behalf by a consortium of lawyers, headed by Mrs Nella Andem-Rabana, the plaintiff was asking the court for an order of perpetual injunction against INEC, its chairman, commissioners, officers, agents and privies from further creating any additional 30,000 polling units before the 2015 election.
“If the defendant is not restrained from implementing its plan to create and distribute additional 30,000 polling units, the interest of the southern electorate will be prejudiced irreparably and unjustifiably, because the 2015 general election timetable and guidelines for political primaries has been released,” the plaintiff had said in one of the prayers.
There were strong indications that INEC was yet to respond to the originating summons and a motion on notice seeking an order to restrain it from going ahead with the polling units.
Professor Jega had, penultimate week, issued a directive to REC, suggesting that implementation of the allocation is about to commence.
The memo, entitled “Reconfiguration of Polling Units Structure and Creation of New Polling Units,” was signed by one Musa Adamu.
“I have been directed to request you to submit your report on the reconfiguration of polling units structure and creation of polling units to the commission on or before Thursday, October 30, 2014,” the memo, which directed RECs to commence the implementation, read in part.
source: tribune.com
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