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Court Denies Ordering INEC To Include YDP In 2015 Elections

A Federal High Court in Abuja has threatened to cite the Young Democratic Party (YDP) for contempt of court for distorting the ruling of the … Continue reading Court Denies Ordering INEC To Include YDP In 2015 Elections


ydpA Federal High Court in Abuja has threatened to cite the Young Democratic Party (YDP) for contempt of court for distorting the ruling of the court delivered on March 4, 2015.

Officials of the party had told a news conference that the court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accommodate the party in the forthcoming elections.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed, who delivered the ruling, said that the statement is not just an embarrassment to him as a judge but the entire judiciary, because at no time did he give such an order.

“As far as this court is concerned, no such orders were made. In fact even the plaintiff, the YDP, did not seek such reliefs from the court. It is therefore very unfortunate that the court is portrayed in a very negative perspective,” the judge said.

“One would have expected the persons concerned to approach the court to obtain certified true copies of the court judgment to see the orders made by the court.

“In the light of this embarrassing circumstance, learned senior counsel is directed to investigate this ugly development and bring the person or persons who made the press conferences to appear in the court to show where such orders were made.

“Failure which the court will not hesitate to charge any person who misrepresented its judgement for contempt,” he said.

The Judge said the party did not ask for that order and therefore he could not have granted the order that the party be included in the elections or that the elections should be postponed again to accommodate the party

He, therefore, ordered lawyer to the party to investigate the claims and produce officials of the party responsible for the statements or in the alternative the party should hold a news conference to correct the wrong impression made of the court.

Reacting to the allegation, counsel to the YDP, Kelvin Nwufo (SAN), promised to investigate the matter and assured the court that the interpretation was a misinformation of what the party said.

Meanwhile, Justice Ahmed Mohammed has adjourned hearing in the application for stay of execution to March 23.