KOGI GUBER: Anxiety As Party Candidate Sue INEC, Ask Court To Nullify The Election

The governorship candidate of All Blending Party ABP in the November 16th governorship election, Prince Umar zekeri Bamaiyi has sued INEC at Federal High Court, Lokoja “FHC\LKJ\CS\133\2019” and asked the court to nullify the election and pay him a compensation of N1.5B for exclusion of his name from INEC final list which was released in October 2019.

Recall that Bamaiyi and Motunrayo Campaign Organisation BAMCO has protested to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against the exclusion of its governorship candidate fielded for the November 16 election in Kogi State.

Director General of the campaign organisation of the party, Ugbede Iduh, who led other party members on a peaceful protest to INEC’s headquarters in Lokoja last month 11th October, 2019 said they were surprised that the commission excluded the name of their candidate from the final list released.

Addressing the protesters, INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Kogi, Nasarawa and Kwara, Mohammed Haruna, said the party’s candidate was not listed by the commission because he was underage.
He explained that the party’s nomination was invalid on the ground that the governorship candidate submitted to INEC was 33-years-old as against 35 years stipulated by the constitution.

Reacting to the development shortly after executive emergency meeting tagged “NEGLIGENCE AND INCOMPETENCE ARE NOT EXCUSES” help in Lagos, the spoke person to Bamaiyi, Comrade Umar Ismail who is also the national president of Champions Youths Development Association of Nigeria (CHYDAN) wondered where Muhammed Haruna got the 33 years that he used to disqualified Bamaiyi.

Umar said Bamaiyi was born on 1st January, 1982, he registered and collected his voter’s card in 2015. ‘All these information were written clearly on Bamaiyi’s voter’s card which was submitted to INEC.

As at 2015 when the voter’s card was issued to Bamaiyi, he was actually 33 years of age but should the date the voter’s card was issued used to determine his age, or his age should be determined from his date of birth? Umar asked’. From Bamaiyi’s date of birth ‘1982’, he’s 37 years old and not 33 years, Umar added.

There’s no way Muhammed Haruna can exonerate himself from this total negligence and incompetency. Umar wondered how Muhammed Haruna who could not differential date of birth from the date voter’s card was issued managed to conduct the election, adding that he would have made such mistakes to declare a loser of an election as a winner.

Many people have died and several others are hopeless roaming on the streets of Nigeria as a result of some peoples failure to discharge their constitutional responsibilities just like Muhammed Haruna did. He can’t go unpunished, because negligence and incompetency are never excuses in any form.

Moreover, Nigeria is guided by Constitution and we all have faith in our judiciaries. This is shameful and embarrassing to Nigeria and Africa at large. Infact, Muhammed Haruna should be sacked from office immediately to avoid further embarrassment.

Reacting to the withdrawal letter dated on 21st September,2019 presented in the court by INEC lawyer, the state chairman of ABP, Mr Muminu Nuhu noted that if truly Bamaiyi wrote a withdrawal letter to INEC on the said date and BAMCO protested to INEC headquarters in Lokoja on 11th October, 2019, why didn’t Muhammed Haruna showed us the withdrawal letter or made reference to the letter, instead, he addressed us on camera saying INEC disqualified Bamaiyi because he’s an underage.

“Why the letter now and where is the letter coming from? Why didn’t he showed us the letter during our protest? Who wrote and signed the letter? Where was the letter written and why now? Where’s the manuscript written by Bamaiyi? No amount of conspiracy will work against us. I cannot imagine any group of failure ganging against us.

There’s no doubt, the said letter was written in defence of this case and won’t be useful, meaning it’s dead on arrival. Muminu added”.

Muminu noted that the video tape where Muhammed Haruna told them during their protest that Bamaiyi is 33 years is intact and will be played in an open court in their next court sitting.

Muminu challenge INEC as regards to the withdrawal letter claiming Bamaiyi wrote to INEC that if they have the video evidence, they should come forward and present it so that it could be played in the court for everybody to see.

Muminu added that Bamaiyi’s lawyer, Barr John Arome has already filled forgery case against INEC, noting he’s client has not written any withdrawal letter, saying if there was such a letter written to INEC on 21th September, 2019, such letter would have been shown to BAMCO during their protest to INEC headquarters in Lokoja on 11th October, 2019.

“There was nothing like that and instead, Muhammed Haruna who is incharge of the election told them on camera that Bamaiyi was disqualified because he’s an underage. Why the letter now? Arome asked”.