The Charade in Cross River State Called LG Election by OBONO OBLA

by crossriverwatch admin

The height of the culture of impunity, lawlessness and disregard for the due process which are the corner stones and hall marks of the PDP controlled Government of Cross River State under Liyel Imoke came to the fore today when, the so called Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission, CROSIEC in collusion with the government brazenly defied the High Court and went ahead to purport to conduct the local government elections in the State.

However the people of Cross River State decided not to participate in the orgy of illegalities.

At this moment, (12noon) no voting has started in all the four wards of Ugep Urban in Yakurr Local Government Area.
However the voting materials for the elections were handed over to PDP chieftains in the area that took them to their private homes.

The materials for Ijiman Ward were taken to the private home of the PDP member representing Yakurr One State Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly, Mfawa Ofegobi.

The people have shunned and refused to partake in the spurious election. The people know that the election is illegal and hence their refusal to give it legitimacy by participating in the charade.

Throughout the State the turnout was abysmally low and absolutely nothing to write home about.

I salute the people of Cross River State for their deep sense of patriotism that has manifested in their boycott of the charade embarked upon by megalomaniacs and power mongers that have lost all sense of decency. I assure the people of Cross River State that the charade shall not stand.

The APC legal team will from Monday the 23rd September 2013 take bold steps through invocation of the Penal Jurisdiction of the High Court to nullify the so called elections purportedly held in defiance of the authority and integrity of the High Court.

The APC legal team shall rely on the principles enunciated by the Supreme Court in a legion of cases to drive home the point that a defendant who elects to undermine the integrity and authority of the Court shall be punished by the Court by reversing the act carried by such a recalcitrant defendant in order to place the Court and the Plaintiff in a state of hopelessness and helplessness and a fait accompli.

In the case of Peter Obi vs. INEC (2007) Vol. 9 MJSC. 1, the Appellant filed a suit in the Federal High Court challenging the decision of INEC to conduct election into the office of the Governor of Anambra State because his tenure had not expired having taken the Oath of Office as Governor on the 16/3/2006.

While the case was pending in Court, the Respondent decided to go ahead with the conduct of the election. At the end of the election, Andy Uba was purportedly declared the winner.

He was sworn in as Governor of Anambra State. However the Supreme Court on the 13th July 2007 set aside the purported conduct of the election and inauguration of Andy Uba while litigation was pending in Court.

The Supreme Court seriously reprimanded INEC for showing such disrespect to the Court. The Supreme Court stated that a party may not alter to his advantage or disadvantage of his opponent the issues in contest in a pending suit.

The same principle was reiterated by the Supreme Court in Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi vs INEC SC 252/2007 decided on 18/1/2008. The Supreme Court nullified the election of Celestine Omehia as Governor of Rivers State while the case filed by Rotimi Amaechi challenging the nomination of Omehia by PDP was pending in Court.

It is a sad commentary that Imoke who cannot meet the demands of striking teachers in the State would waste public funds to conduct an illegal election.

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