PDP rejects court order stopping collation of governorship results in Bauchi

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has a court order which halted the collation and announcement of governorship election results in Bauchi state.

Okay Nigeria reported that a court in Abuja halted the collation and announcement of results for Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

Justice Inyang Ekwo gave the order while ruling on an exparte application filed by the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Governor of Bauchi state, Mr Mohammed Abubakar.

Justice Ekwo ruled that the exercise should be stopped pending the determination of the substantive suit.

However reacting the ruling, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP spokesman, accused the APC of arm-twisting the judiciary over the election which he claims his party has won.

He described the order as unconstitutional, and threatened to obtain similar ones stopping the swearing in of all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) “particularly President Muhammadu Buhari”.

“Our party should not be constrained into a situation in which we will have no option than to allow our members to seek similar ex parte orders to halt statutory processes including the swearing-in of APC candidates at various levels, particularly President Muhammadu Buhari,” Ologbondiyan said.

“The party alerts that such development, which is akin to the infamous order that derailed the 1993 democratic process, is part of the plot by the APC and certain compromised elements in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to escalate crisis and derail our electoral process.

“The power to collate, suspend collation and or to reverse such decision based on obvious circumstances as the case in Bauchi is clearly within the domain of INEC.”

The party added that until collation is completed and results declared, “no one can question the constitutional powers of INEC.”

“Our party should not be constrained into a situation in which we will have no option than to allow our members to seek similar exparte orders to halt statutory processes including the swearing-in of APC candidates at various levels, particularly President Muhammadu Buhari,” it said.

“It is clear that collation of result is part of the electoral process and that INEC cannot act on a purported exparte order to jettison its independence and halt the collation of results, which is a key component of its statutory electoral duty.

“Our party therefore charges INEC to be properly guided by the law in this regard.”