The Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) at the weekend refuted the claim of its legal officer in Kano State, Suleiman Alkali who wrote a letter of withdrawal from the state’s governorship election tribunal. The electoral body says Alkali’s letter was not authorized, that the letter has been withdrawn, and the writer reprimanded.
Drama started when Alkali, the Commission’s Head of Legal Department in Kano, in a letter dated October 6, 2023 and addressed to the Secretary of the Kano Governorship Tribunal, wrote to notify the tribunal about its withdrawal from the appeal and subsequently withdrew the letter and its earlier position.
INEC in a statement signed by Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner & Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee and dated October 7 refuted Alkali’s claim.
Below is the full text of the statement:
The attention of the Commission has been drawn to media reports based on a letter written by the Legal Officer of our Kano State office indicating that the Commission had withdrawn from the appeal process in the ongoing Kano Governorship election petition case;
We wish to state categorically that the letter was not authorised. It has since been withdrawn and the officer reprimanded;
The public is therefore advised to discountenance the insinuation that the Commission has withdrawn from the case or even worse abandoned the appeal;
We wish to state categorically that where litigants join INEC in a case, the Commission is under obligation to respond accordingly. We have therefore instructed our lawyers to proceed in line with extant policy of the Commission. The policy has not changed.
Sam Olumekun mni
National Commissioner & Chairman,
Information and Voter Education Committee
Saturday 7th October 2023
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