The Abuja branch of the Federal High Court has refused to grant a fresh application by the African Action Congress to stop the collation of Rivers State’s Governorship and House of Assembly elections.
AAC approached the court seeking an order to stop the collation and announcement of results from seventeen Local Government Areas in the State where the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, supervised on March 9.
The presiding justice, Inyang Ekwo held that the ex parte application brought before him by the AAC and its candidate, Awara Biokpomabo was such that the court cannot grant without hearing the other side.
Ekwo said, “The orders as prayed in the ex parte are not such that can be granted without hearing from the order side.
“I therefore make an order that the process be served on the other side for them to come to court to show cause why the prayer sought ought not to be granted.
“Therefore, the prayers on the ex parte motion are hereby refused,” he said.
Yesterday,Federal High Court in Abuja, has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to halt the collation and announcement of the result of the March 9 election in Rivers State.
INEC had suspended all electoral processes in the state following widespread violence.
The commission, however, announced last week, that results of the elections in 17 local government areas of the state were intact and that it would make public its decision on the election by Wednesday.
Justice Iyang Ewa has now ordered the commission to halt its scheduled resumption of the announcement of the result, based on an ex parte application filed by the African Action Congress (AAC) candidates.
The applicant prayed the court for an order of interim injunction restraining INEC from resuming, collating or announcing the results of the suspended elections in Rivers.
Ewa ordered INEC to appear before the court on Friday, for the hearing of the suit filed against it by AAC.
He also affirmed that the court would give its final order after it concludes the suits brought before it by the plaintiffs.
