Tai: Nbina, Others Urge INEC To Obey Court Order

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Eleme, Tai and Oyigbo Federal Constituency, Dr Jacobson Nbina said on Wednesday in Port Harcourt that it would amount to gross violation of the rule of law if the electoral body goes ahead to declare the result for an area where it suspended the rerun election on March 19, 2016.

Nbina recalled that the resident Electoral Commissioner for the state, Aniedi Ikoiwak had suspended the March 19 rerun election in the area, premising the action on threat to lives and properties.

According to him, at the time the suspension was announced, materials had not reached the polling units, adding that the electoral officer for the council said that they were hijacked to unknown destination.

Also a body known as Democracy Awareness Group in Rivers South-East Senatorial District said Ogoni people will reject any moves by INEC to impose any candidate on the people of the area without due election process.

The President of the group, Mr Ken Brownson, who described the latest decision by INEC to declare the result of an election earlier suspended as a total rape of democracy and an invitation to anarchy in the area.

He said Ogoni is peaceful for now, but INEC wants to drag the people of the area back to crisis, explaining that all Ogoni people were aware that Tai election was suspended and that the people of the local government area are prepared for the rerun election rescheduled for October this year.

He called on INEC to respect the recent court order stopping the announcement of Tai result.

Simiularly, a human rights activist in Rivers State, Dr Kery Baziah has called on  INEC to respect the Federal High Court order restraining the commission from declaring the result for the suspended rerun election in Tai local government area of the state.

A Federal High Court presided over by Honorable Justice A.M Liman had stopped INEC from declaring the result of the March 19, 2016 rerun legislative election in Tai LGA as prayed by the PDP in the state.

Speaking with journalists Wednesday in Port Harcourt, Dr Bazia said any attempt by INEC to disobey the court by maintaining its ground to announce the result of Tai Constituency would amount to anarchy.

He also called on Federal Government to always to ensure compliance to all court orders irrespective of the party or individual involved, warning that non-compliance of court order might eventually throw the entire nation into anarchy.

Enoch Epelle