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INEC Presents PDP’s candidates certificate of return -ignores Oshiomole’s threats

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday in Abuja call the bluff of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomole by declaring the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the November 16 governorship election in the state.

The commission issued the certificate of return to the candidates of the PDP.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at a briefing on Friday in Abuja, said the commission received the certified copy of the Thursday’s Supreme Court judgement and thus declared the election conclusive. This is at variance with Oshiomole’s declaration that no one should be declared winner and sworn-in in Bayelsa.

“The commission has received the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgement of the apex court which disqualified the Deputy Governorship candidate (of the APC) and vitiated the joint ticket of the party earlier declared winner in the election.

“The Court also ordered the Commission to “…declare as winner of the Govemorship election in Bayelsa State the candidate with the highest number of lawfhl votes cast with the requisite constitutional (or geographical spread),” Yakubu said.

Thee National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, said yesterday that nobody would be sworn in as governor of Bayelsa state today. Addressing newsmen at the party’s secretariat in Abuja, he said, “From tomorrow (today), there will be no government in Bayelsa State because based on the court judgment, the next winner does not even have one quarter of the votes in two-third of the local governments so, which means, based on the constitution, no one can be sworn in as governor of Bayelsa State.

“Although, as a political party, we respect the rules of law and judgment and that is why we have asked our lawyers to explore all legal devices in making sure Bayelsans get their mandate.” 

Comparing the Bayelsa’s case to that of Bauchi in 1999, Oshiomhole said, “The court found that his running mate was not qualified for whatever reason to contest that election, and accordingly the Supreme Court nullified the election of Governor Adamu Mu’azu and the court as a consequence directed INEC to conduct a fresh election.

“As bad as the case of Zamfara was, where after we have won the governorship election, the senatorial election, the House of Representatives and the House of Assembly election, the court held that APC did not conduct primaries in Zamfara State and therefore did not participate in that election. This one is totally different, there is no doubt about the fact that proper elections were conducted,” he said.   

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