Delta: INEC, Jega face contempt trial

The Federal High Court in Warri, Delta State will on February 10 commence a contempt case against against the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

The court is angry that INEC ignored its judgment of October 31, 2014 ordering the commission to restore the two state constituencies (Ughelli South I and Isoko North II), which were suppressed by the commission in 1998, forthwith.

This came after the court dismissed the application for the stay of execution filed against the judgment by the commission.

Dismissing the application without cost, Justice Shitu Abubakar said the commission had no reason to delay the implementation of its judgment.

He adjourned the matter to February 10 for the commencement of contempt of court proceedings against Prof. Jega.

Fielding questions, INEC’s counsel, Efa Oka, berated the commission for jettisoning the judgement.

Oka said: “The commission was under obligation to obey the judgment after its application for stay of execution was dismissed.”

Counsel to the plaintiffs, Chief Efe Akpofure (SAN), described the dismissal of INEC’s application as a good omen.

Akpofure said: “The court has made an order and that judgment is subsisting. I don’t want to believe that the delay in the implementation of the court judgment is political. We expect INEC to do the needful, having been put on notice.”

According to him, the case was a matter that deserved extreme urgency, maintaining: “There is nobody that is bigger than the court. You must obey the court order.”

He averred that unless Prof. Jega complies with the court judgment, they would not withdraw the contempt of court proceedings against him.

He said similar judgements have been given in other states and those constituencies were restored.

John Okoriko, who is also a counsel to the plaintiffs, said the ruling was fair, adding: “We are convinced that it has met the justice of this particular case. The reason is that this is a matter in which we have gotten judgment on the 31st day of October 2014 and the court copiously made the order that INEC should comply with the judgment by ensuring that Ughelli South 1 and Isoko North 1 constituencies be restored forthwith.”