The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has written a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), demanding that the commission cease all correspondence on electoral processes with a rival faction of the party not recognised by the courts’ subsisting judgments, as placed before it.
The party made the demand at the weekend in Lagos in a letter addressed to the chairman of INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, with the director of litigation in copy.
The letter titled, “Forwarding of Subsisting Judgments and Court Orders on the Leadership of NNPP” was signed by the party’s solicitors, Rex Firma LP and made available to the media in Lagos.
“No access code, nomination portal credential, authentication key, candidate-upload authorisation, or similar electoral privileges should be issued by INEC to any purported rival faction unrecognised by subsisting judgments of courts,” they stated.
According to the solicitors, all portal rights and authorisations, whatsoever, should be granted to the authentic and judicially recognised LEADERSHIP of NNPP under the supervision of Dr Boniface Aniebonam, NNPP Founder and Chairman, Board of Trustees.
They urged the commission to cease correspondence with those masquerading as Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, including Dr Ajuji Ahmed, the Kwankwasiyya Movement representatives or any other unauthorised persons.
“We demand that all electoral communications, and related privileges concerning the NNPP be restricted exclusively to the duly recognised leadership affirmed by judgments of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory and the Court of Appeal, Owerri.
The solicitors demanded that INEC refrain from recognising, engaging with or acting upon any communication, request, nomination, sponsorship or instruction emanating from any person or group not authorised by the duly recognised National Working Committee (NWC) and Board of Trustees of the party;
They said: “INEC must comply fully with judgments and orders of the courts unless, until a competent appellate court sets aside the same;
“The commission should immediately notify all relevant departments, directorates, electoral officers and personnel responsible for political party administration and candidate nominations of the existence and binding effect of the enclosed judgments and orders.”
The solicitors, referring to numerous correspondence on the issue, insisted that since INEC did not appeal against the judgments directing it to recognise the faction supervised by Aniebonam, the founder of the party, it is, therefore, bound to obey the judgments.
“We consider it necessary to remind the commissioners that by virtue of Section 287 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), all authorities and persons are under a constitutional obligation to give effect to decisions of courts of competent jurisdiction.
“Furthermore, the commission has an obligation not to take any step capable of truncating or rendering the current enforcement proceedings nugatory.
“These judgments remain valid, subsisting and binding, and collectively preclude the recognition of, or dealing with, any faction, group or persons other than the duly recognised leadership of NNPP,” they said.
