Group Asks Court To Stop INEC From Recognising Buhari As APC Candidate

Agency ReporterOctober 30, 2018

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A civil society group, Kingdom Human Rights Foundation International, has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising, accepting or listing President Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the forthcoming 2019 election.

The KHRFI, in a suit, which it filed on Monday, alleged that by virtue of section 91(9) of the Electoral Act, Buhari’s nomination as APC’s candidate is illegal, null and void for accepting a donation of N45m worth of APC’s nomination and expression of interest forms from a group named Nigerian Consolidation Ambassadors Network.

The plaintiff contended in the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/1228/2018, that by virtue of section 91(9) of the Electoral Act, no individual or other entity can donate more than N1m to any candidate.

It added, however, that in violation of the said provision of the Electoral Act, Buhari on September 12, 2018 “submitted the illegally purchased presidential nomination form to the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress”.

The plaintiff, through its lawyer, Mr. Okere Nnamdi, sued Buhari, the Office of the President, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the APC and INEC as the 1st to the 5th defendants respectively.

An affidavit filed in support stated that the APC, relying on the “illegally purchased nomination form” the APC on October 6 and 7, 2018 held a National Convention in Abuja where Buhari emerged a consensus presidential candidate of the party.

It added, “That by virtue of section 91 (9) of the Electoral Act no individual or other entity shall donate more than one million naira (N1,000,000) to any candidate.

“That the Supreme Court of Nigeria has defined election in many cases as a process that begins with nomination and selection of a candidate for election by political parties.