Supreme Court Judgement: AA Chairman Forum Urges INEC to Obey Ruling on National Chairman
By: Edirin Robinson
The Chairman Forum of the Action Alliance (AA) has called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC,) Prof. Yakubu Mahmood adhere to the judgement of the Supreme Court by returning the name of its National Chairman, Hon. Adeline Adekunle Rufai Omo-Aje to the INEC Portal.
This was contained in a statement signed by Hon. Nwigbarto G. Dumbari, Mrs. Omotosho Rashidat Ololade, and others, the Chairman and Secretary, respectively of the Forum and made available to the media in Kaduna, yesterday.
The statement stated that the Forum finds the dealings between INEC and the ‘supposed’ National Chairman of the Party, Mr Kenneth Obidiche Udeze, a mystery of the highest order.
It further stated that the Party bears no record of any elective National Convention held to declare Mr Kenneth Udeze as the National Chairman of the Party, a fact which INEC bears witness to.
The Forum therefore warned that the National Executive Council has been mandated to file Order 48 and subsequently, Order 49 against Prof. Yakubu Mahmood in the case of no response from INEC within the next 48 hours.
“Why is it that INEC has refused to obey the judgment of the Supreme Court in the ruling of 14th May 2024 where the Apex Court upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal that Barr. Kenneth Udeze is not a member of Action Alliance.
“On The 6th of March, 2024 INEC in a letter to the IBS Solicitor, Legal Practitioners, and Consultant, one of the Law Firms representing Action Alliance, stating that INEC did not monitor any Convention convened by Action Alliance or Kenneth Obidiche Udeze on the 24th of March, 2021 as claimed by Barr. Kenneth.
“This further solidifies our stand that Barr. Kenneth did not do any Conventions.
“How can INEC be dealing with a supposed National Chairman who did not emerge from any National Convention is a mystery of the highest order!
“While Hon. Adekunle Rufai was duly re-elected at the elective National Convention held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Abeokuta, Ogun State on 7th October, 2023. The encouraging INEC monitoring report is readily available.
“We request that INEC under the leadership of Prof. Yakubu Mahmood return the name of our authentic National Chairman, Hon. Adekunle El-Rufai Omo-Aje, and his National Executive Council to the INEC Portal.
“We are reminding Prof. Yakubu and the Commission that the time the case spent in the Supreme Court is nothing but Academic Exercise. The judgment in SC/CV/1488/2022 is a concluded matter.
“If there is no possible response within 48 hours, we have mandated our National Executive Council to file Order 48 and subsequently, Order 49 against Prof. Yakubu Mahmood.”
