INEC has 334 pre-election cases in court — Prof Yakubu

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has said the commission has 334 pre-election cases in court to contend with.

He said though the cases were purely intra-party issues, the commission had been joined in all of them.

Yakubu spoke yesterday in Abuja during the swearing in of a new Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) from Plateau State, Dr Hale Gabriel Longpet, who was later deployed to Kogi State.

He also revealed that INEC would today publish the particulars of candidates nominated by political parties for governorship and state assembly elections in all the constituencies nationwide as required by law.

He further said, “I appeal to all Nigerians to seize the opportunity to scrutinise the particulars of the candidates and to seek judicial remedy for any observed violation of the law as provided in Section 29 of the Electoral Act 2022.

“Already, the commission has been inundated by numerous pre-election cases arising from the conduct of congresses and primaries by political parties for the 2023 general elections. 

“So far, 334 pre-election cases have been filed in various divisions of the Federal High Court across the country by aspirants challenging the nomination of candidates or their exclusion from the lists submitted to the commission.

“With the publication of the personal particulars of candidates for governorship, deputy governorship and state assembly elections, we expect the number of cases to rise even higher.

“Sadly, the issue of internal democracy in political parties remains a sore point in our electoral process in Nigeria. The commission will continue to engage with political parties while standing firm against any transgression by strictly enforcing the provisions of the law and extant regulations and guidelines.”