Bayelsa governorship election: We are yet to get any court order – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it is yet to be served the court order restraining it from conducting tomorrow’s gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State and also summoning it to appear before the trial judge in the case brought by the African Renaissance Party.
Kayode Idowu, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, told The Eagle Online at 1pm today that the commission was yet to be served the court papers as at 11am today.

Idowu said: “Let me state this: as at 11am today, INEC was yet to be served the court papers.
“And as I speak with you now, I do not have any information to the contrary.”
When asked if this means that the commission was going ahead with the election tomorrow, Idowu answered: “Let me state what is obvious without any interpretation or meanings read into it: we are yet to get the court papers.”
Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court, Abuja had on Thursday said that INEC had no right to exclude the candidate of the ARP from the election in Bayelsa State tomorrow.
Okorowo had then ordered that INEC should appear before him today to convince him on why it has to go ahead with the conduct of the election.
Okorowo had yesterday granted ARP’s application brought by its lawyer, Kayode Ajulo, seeking the inclusion of the names of the party’s candidate for the election, Dumbo Hink, and his running mate, Adigio Inangaebite.
INEC, the party averred, violated some provisions of the Electoral Act 2010, inluding giving just 12 days notice for the election instead of 90.
Okorowo held that it would be unfair for the commission to exclude the ARP from the election, ordering INEC to include Hinks and Inangaebite.
The ARP went to the court seeking for:
•AN ORDER of the court directing all parties to this suit to maintain status quo on any matter arising from the conduct of the election into the vacant office of the Governor of Bayelsa State slated for 11th day of February, 2012 pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice dated 7th of the February, 2012.
•AND for such other orders as the Honourable Court may deem fit to make in furtherance of the above prayers and in the urgent circumstances of this case.