The former APC National Legal Adviser and chairman of AMCOM, Mr Muiz Banire has alligned with the supreme court judgement which nullified elections of his party’s candidates, David Lyon and his deputy at the eve of their inauguration as Governor and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa state noting that the Supreme court was too lenient in thr judgement to not have imposed a fine of five hundred thousand naira on the party for failure to do its due diligence.
The Supreme court headed by justice Mary Odili had on February 13 nullified elections of David Lyon and his deputy and ordered INEC to issue fresh certificate of return to the next candidate with the highest votes and constitutional spread in the gubernatorial elections.
Mr Banire faulted the APC leadership under Adams Oshiomole for failing to observed the due diligence during her screening of candidates and constitutionally deserved to be punished for making the party suffer such humiliation.
The APC chieftain in his submission noted that the judgement of the Supreme court was not exhaustive quoting 31 of the electoral act .
He said:
“By the current Electoral Act, unlike in the past, the responsibility for the screening of candidates devolves on the political parties. As a matter of fact, by Section 31(1) of the Electoral Act (as amended), once a political party submits its list of candidates to INEC, in accordance with the statutory stipulations, INEC does not have the power to reject or disqualify candidates for any reason whatsoever.”
“Thus, it is expected that the leadership of each political party carry out diligent verification of her candidates’ credentials, apart from integrity and fitness into the manifesto of the party criteria. Where a political party fails in the screening of the candidates and presents an unqualified candidate, the sanction is not only disqualification but also penalty of N500,000, which the Supreme Court probably forgot to impose on the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Bayelsa case.” Said Mr Muiz Banire , former APC National Legal Adviser and Amcom Chairman.