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Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Abuja division of the Federal High Court has rejected the request by the African Action Congress (AAC) for an order of interim injunction restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from announcing winners of the the March 9 governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State.
Rather, Justice Inyang Ekwo ordered counsel to the plaintiff, Tawo Tawo (SAN), to put the defendants on notice.
The request was contained in a motion ex parte filed alongside an originating summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/303/2019.
The plaintiffs include AAC, Biokpomabo Festus Awara and Pastor Ben-Gurion John Peter as plaintiffs, while the INEC and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), were listed as respondents in the motion, which was filed on March 18, 2019.
When the case was called yesterday, Justice Ekwo drew the attention of the plaintiffs’ lawyer to some media reports, to the effect that a Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the INEC in relation to the Rivers election.
In response, Tawo denied knowledge of the publication, including a Justice Ewa mentioned in the reports.
The lawyer consequently urged the court to ignore it. He, thereafter, informed the court about the pending motion filed by his clients, which the judge declined.
Justice Ekwo, after listening to the plaintiffs’ lawyer, declined to grant the prayers in the motion, and, instead, ordered that the respondents be served with the motion and other process in the suit. He adjourned to March 25 for hearing.
