INEC unsure of supplementary election in Adamawa

The governorship supplementary election scheduled for March 23 may not hold in Adamawa State as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) awaits court decision expected today.

The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Adamawa, Barrister Kassim Gaidam, told journalists that although all preparation for the election had been concluded, the ruling expected today would determine whether the election would hold or not.

The commissioner had earlier indicated that courts lacked the powers to stop the commission from conducting elections, citing relevant sections of the Electoral Law.

Justice Abdul-azeez Waziri of the state High Court in Yola had on March 14 asked INEC to suspend the election processes pending hearing of motion on notice.

The request was made by the candidate of Movement for Restoration and Defence of Democracy (MRDD), Eric Theman, who alleged that the logo of his party was excluded on the ballot paper.

“As a law abiding institution, we will respect the ruling of the court on the supplementary election,” the commissioner said, in what looked like a shift from his earlier position.

He noted that INEC headquarters had sent a team of senior lawyers to defend the commission at the court hearing to hold today.