INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it has withdrawn 87 Certificates of Return (CoR) issued to some candidates that won during the 2019 General Elections, following court orders. The National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Festus Okoye, said this in a statement.
He was reacting to Monday’s protest by a senator-elect, Chief Benjamin Uwajumogu, who led scores of protesters to the headquarters of INEC to protest the withholding of his CoR by the commission, despite a court order.
The Director General, Benjamin Uwajumogu Campaign Organization (BUCO), Sir Mathew Omegara, who addressed the protesters, accused INEC of overt indiscretion and double standard in relation to the election of Chief Benjamin Uwajumogu in the recently concluded senatorial election in Imo North Senatorial District. He said INEC has a history and record of obedience to orders and that the commission does not make a distinction between orders made in its favor and orders made against it. “As at the 22nd July 2019, the commission has withdrawn and re-issued 87 certificates of return. The commission withdrew three CoR from the APC and issued to NNPP, A and NRM. The Commission withdrew 44 CoR from APC and issued to the PDP (arising mostly from the Supreme Court decision on the Zamfara APC Party Primary Election). The commission withdrew 40 CoR from the APC and re-issued to APC candidates,” Okoye said.