Agency Report

The New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP) will file an appeal at the Federal Appeal Court to challenge the action, activity and decision of the INEC in preparations for the 2023 general elections, Suit No. FHC/KD/CS/116/2022 and the APC as joined as a party for the purpose of fair hearing.

The suit was dismissed by the Federal High Court, Kaduna Judicial Division on 22nd November, 2022 on the ground that the suit was statute-barred, as according to the Court, the suit was challenging the erstwhile ward congresses for election of delegates and primary elections of the APC conducted in April and May, 2022 respectively.

Briefing newsmen in Kaduna the NNPP gubernatorial candidate in Kaduna state, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi said, "The Court negated the fact that as at the time material for the said ward congresses for election of delegates and primary elections of the APC conducted in April and May, 2022 respectively, it was premature for the NNPP to approach the Court, as the INEC have not yet displayed the list of candidates submitted to it by various political party, which was only possible on 22nd July, 2022."

He explained that the suit was filed by the NNPP on 04th August, 2022 in accordance with the provisions of Section 285 (9) (14) (c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) seeking for interpretation and application of the above cited provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 and determination of the issues therein as to whether or not the action, decision and activity of the INEC of 22nd July, 2022 which has bearing on nomination of candidates and in preparations for the 2023 general elections is valid.

He noted that section 285(9) notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Constitution, every pre-election matter shall be filed not later than 14 days from the date of the occurrence of the event, decision or action complained of in the suit.

According to him, (14) for the purpose of the section, “pre-election matter” means any suit by - a political party challenging the actions, decisions or activities of the Independent National Electoral Commission disqualifying its candidate in participating in an election or complaint that the provisions of the Electoral Act or any other applicable law has not been complied with by the Independent National Electoral Commission in respect of the nomination of candidates of political parties for an election, timetable for an election, registration of voters, and other activities of the Commission in respect of preparation for an election.

Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi stated that the NNPP contends that the INEC ought not to include the names of such candidates of the APC in the list, as they have not emerged from valid primaries, by considering the fact that the 5 delegates per ward who elected the candidates are not known to the law.

He explained that the suit was filed on 04th August, 2022 as a complaint for the clear noncompliance of the extant laws by the INEC, particularly as regards to its refusal to invoke the provisions of Section 29 (1), 84 (5) (8) (13) of the Electoral Act, 2022 against the APC as a political party.

According to him, the NNPP contends that the INEC ought not to include the names of such candidates of the APC in the list, as they have not emerged from valid primaries, by considering the fact that the 5 delegates per ward who elected the candidates are not known to the law.

News Politics

'He would not come' - Sowore challenges Peter Obi to TV debate

NURUDEEN SHOTAYO

November 23, 2022 11:50 PM

Sowore alse extended the same challenge to other presidential candidates including Tinubu and Atiku.

Omoyele Sowore and Peter Obi

The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) for the 2023 elections, Omoyele Sowore, has dared his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, to step out for a television debate with him.

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Sowore also challenged his counterparts in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar respectively to a debate to discuss ideas on how to redeem the glory of the country.

However, the AAC aspirant said he was convinced Obi as well as Atiku and Tinubu would not show up at a debate with him if they were invited.

He made this known while speaking on a Channels Television programme, ‘Politics Today,’ on Wednesday, November 23, 2022.

“Bring me and Obi to discuss our ideas on your show, I guarantee that he would not come,” Sowore told the show's anchor.

He continued: “I know the other two people will not show up – Tinubu and Atiku dare not show up … They should be afraid because anybody who has got no idea should be afraid.”

The ACC presidential aspirant also urged the media to push candidates with ideas, alleging that some candidates tagged as “frontliners” have been deliberately granted more media access.

Sowore's word: “In my course of doing media recently…the little media attention we got, I found some very fantastic presidential candidates who have better ideas than the people you (the media) keep pushing in front of the public.

“The media needs to stop doing that; you need to put people who have great ideas of how to make the country work in front of the people. Let them keep repeating these ideas until everybody is hearing them, and not people who don’t talk or when they talk, you can’t even hear them, or are not audible enough or not clear enough, and you say they’re front liners. How can they be front liners when they don’t have frontline ideas?”