By John Ikani
The Labour Party is considering mobilising its supporters to stage protests at the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nationwide over the commission’s refusal to obey an order from the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, spokesman of the Presidential Campaign Council of the party, Dr. Yunusa Tanko said the order, which directed INEC to provide the party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, access to certified true copies of materials used in the February 25th poll, was served on INEC on March 3.
He noted that the party sent a reminder letter on March 6, but the commission was yet to comply with the order.
Dr. Tanko warned that the party might “call on its supporters to protest peacefully at INEC offices nationwide if the commission does not obey the court order.”
According to him, “in a democracy like Nigeria, rule of law must triumph, and no party should be seen to employ self-help to disparage or disrespect an order of court.
“INEC’s refusal to grant the party access to the election materials “constitutes an act of judicial insubordination and willful refusal to comply with the order of the court.”
Dr. Tanko went on to lament that “while INEC has refused the party access to the election materials, the commission has started reconfiguring the BVAS machines without representatives of the parties in the case in attendance to confirm the data that is being backed up.”
While maintaining that Obi won the election from the results submitted by its party agents from the polling units, Dr. Tanko urged Nigerians to vote for candidates of the party in the rescheduled March 18 governorship/State Assembly elections.
The spokesman called on the general public to note the level of lawlessness and brazen disobedience to a lawful order of a court by an important statutory agency such as INEC, stressing that it is a well-calculated attempt to undermine and frustrate the presentation of the Petition by the Labour Party and its Presidential candidate before the tribunal in good time.
He reiterated that the party will not fail to call their supporters to march to INEC offices nationwide in a non-violent protest which is allowed by law, to curtail the flagrant disobedience to court orders by INEC.
