The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Young Democratic Party

  • Committal hearing against INEC chairman for Friday

    For allegedly disobeying a valid court order, the Young Democratic Party (YDP) has asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to commit Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof Mahmoud Yakubu to prison.

    The party alleged Yakubu refused to recognise its leader Henry Nwabueze as Acting National Chairman.

    The case will come up for hearing before Justice Ayokunle Faji Friday.

    YDP filed Form 49 against the alleged contemnor inviting him to appear and show cause why he should not be sent to prison for refusing to comply with a November 29, 2018 judgment by Justice Faji.

    The Form 49 reads: “Take notice that the defendant will on a date as approved by the Court apply for an order for your committal to prison for having disobeyed the judgment of the Federal High Court by Justice A.O. Faji made on 29th November 2018 enjoining you to recognise the second defendant as the Acting National Chairman, Hon. Henry Nwabueze, of the Young Democratic Party and thereby neglected to obey the said judgment”.

    Relying on the case of John Ebhodaghe vs Mike Okoye, the applicant’s counsel Yemi Akinyeme said an order of committal against Yakubu would be proper and deserving given that he was granted adequate notice to comply with the order.

    Read Also; INEC releases final list of candidates for 2019 general elections

    Quoting former Supreme Court Justice, the late Niki Tobi, the lawyer said obedience to orders of court is fundamental to the good order, peace and stability of the nation.

    He, therefore, asked the court to cite the INEC chairman for contempt as provided by Order 35 Rule1 (2) (b) of the Civil Procedure Rules of the court.

    The applicant’s counsel further cited Section 72 of the Sheriff’s and Civil Process Act: “If a person refuses or neglects to comply with an order of court made against him other than for payment of money, the court instead of dealing with him as a judgment debtor guilty of the misconduct defined in paragraph F of Section 66 of the Act, may order that he be committed to prison and detained in custody until he has obeyed the order.”

  • 2019: Aspirant promises to declare emergency on food

    Belgium-based presidential aspirant of the Young Democratic Party, Comrade Fidelis Lawrence-Ekoh, has  said he will declare a state of emergency on food supplies if he emerges the president of Nigeria.

    Speaking in Lagos, Lawrence–Ekoh said he decided to join the race to improve the living standards of Nigerians.

    He wondered why Nigerian youths  who have put in all efforts to go through all the rigors of education to attain a higher employability status come out of school, only to be frustrated and disillusioned.

    Explaining why he decided to start his political career by taking a shot at the presidency, he said he chose to join the race because he would like all Nigerians to feel the impact of his government if elected.

    He promised to declare a state of emergency on food supplies.

    “A hungry man is very angry and must take care of the stomach before any other thing. I will declare a state of emergency on food. There is food crisis in Nigeria. My government will subsidize food for the masses,”he said.

  • ‘1.4m PVCs yet to be collected in Lagos’

    ‘1.4m PVCs yet to be collected in Lagos’

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State says there are 1, 425, 282 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) yet to be collected in the state.

    The new Administrative Secretary of INEC in the state, Dr Mudashiru Mustapha disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    He spoke on the sideline of the commission’s Stakeholders’ Meeting with political parties on Tuesday.

    NAN reports that the event, which had no fewer than 20 state chairmen of different political parties in attendance, was organized by INEC to seek support for the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR).

    The CVR exercise, scheduled to be flagged-off by the commission on April 27 nationwide, will also provide avenue for people who were yet to collect their PVCs to do so.

    Mustapha said: “There are so many PVCs yet to be claimed by their owners in Lagos State. We want residents to go to INEC offices in each of the 20 Local Governments in the state.

    “We want to canvass for the support of leaders of political parties for mobilization of eligible residents for the forthcoming nationwide Continuous Voters Registration exercise.

    “The commission needs your understanding, support and cooperation to mobilize residents for this continuous voter’s registration, even though we have done the needful in awareness campaign.

    “There is no way we can achieve success without leaders of political parties, we want to solicit your support because you are closer to the people and live among them.

    “Voter card is the power people have to elect their representatives, they must be encouraged to come out en masse and get registered. Help us sensitize and mobilize the people.”

    Earlier, Mustapha assured the party representatives that the commission had put necessary measures to ensure a hitch free exercise.

    Mrs Seye Soriyan, the Head of Department, ICT/Voters’ Registry, also highlighted the eligibility and procedures for the fresh registration, transfer and distribution of PVCs.

    Soriyan said that the exercise would be from Monday to Friday every week between 9 a.m. and 3.p.m. at the INEC office in each of the 20 local government areas of the state.

    According to her, each of the local governments will have five Registration Area Officers who will register eligible residents and distribute PVCs ready for collection.

    Soriyan said eligible persons for registration include those who turned 18 years after the last exercise in 2015 and those who did not register before.

    She added that those who want to transfer their voting centers were also free to register during the exercise.

    Soriyan explained that those registered would be given temporary Voter Cards, before their PVCs became ready after six months.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that party leaders at the meeting had urged the commission to make the exercise less stressful by decentralizing it to the ward level.

    Political parties represented at the meeting include All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, Accord Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, KOWA Party, Labor Party, and Young Democratic Party (YDP) among others.

     

  • Edo poll: Tribunal throws out YDP petition

    The Edo State Election Petitions Tribunal on Thursday threw out one of the petitions filed by the Young Democratic Party and its governorship candidate, Nurudeen Inwanfero, for abuse of court process.

     

    It said the YDP failed to comply with paragraph 29 of the Electoral Act by filling the necessary application before the tribunal seeking to discontinue with the first petition it filed.

     

    Candidate of the YDP, Nurudeen Inwanfero, had in his petition asked the tribunal to cancel the entire September 28election because the party’s logo was not included in the ballot papers used for the election.

     

    The petitioners filed petitions number one and three and it filed notice of discontinue for petition number one but the tribunal held that filing of petition number three was abuse of court process.

     

    Ruling on the application filed by Governor Godwin Obaseki through his lead Counsel, Lateef Fagbemi, the three-man panel earlier granted leave of the respondent to argue the application outside the pre-hearing session.

     

    Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Ahmed Badamasi, who read the ruling said it was clear that there are two same petitions from the petitioners before the tribunal.

     

    Justice Badamasi held that there was nothing to show that the notice of discontinuous was filed by the petitioners and described it as vague and incompetence.

     

    Badamasi therefore struck out petition number three and all pending applications against the petition.

     

    Attempts by the petitioners’ Counsel, Ugo Nwofor, to request for adjournment to enable him put his ‘House in order’ rejected by the respondents’ Counsels.

     

    Nwofor stated that it was in the interest of justice for the tribunal to grant the adjournment to allow him time put things together in respect of petition number one.

     

    Olanipekun urged the tribunal to remove the life support on the petition as there was no application for extension of time before the tribunal.

     

    Justice Badamasi adjourned sitting to December 13 for ruling on whether petition number one still has merit.

  • Tribunal orders substituted service on Obaseki, APC

    Tribunal orders substituted service on Obaseki, APC

    The Edo State Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Benin City has granted an order for the People’s Democratic Party and the Young Democratic Party to serve court processes on the All Progressive Congress and governor-elect, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, through substituted service.

     

    By this order, the court processes would be assumed served once they are pasted on the walls, or gate of the Edo APC secretariat and the residence of Obaseki.

     

    The tribunal granted the order following a motion exparte filed separately by Counsels to Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and the YDP.

     

    Lead Counsel to Pastor Ize-Iyamu and the PDP, Kingsley Obamogie, said the motion exparte was filed in pursuant of the First Schedule, Paragraph 47 of the Electoral Act as amended.

     

    Obamogie told the tribunal that the Edo APC secretariat along the Airport road has been shut down since October 20, 2016.

     

    He said the shutting down was to frustrate attempt to serve court processes on them.

     

    Obamogie urged the tribunal to grant the motion because it has become impossible to serve Obaseki and to enable them make progress in the petition.

     

    Ugo Nwafor, Counsel to YDP and its candidate, Nurudeen Inwanfero, in the motion sought the tribunal leave to serve the APC and Obaseki by substituted service.

     

    In his ruling, Chairman of the tribunal, Justice A.T.Badamasi granted the motion saying it was in line with the Electoral Act as amended and section 6(5) of the Federal High Court procedural rules.

  • Young Democratic Party

    •What are they up to?

    It is unfortunate that the judgment of Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register Young Democratic Party (YDP), barely three weeks to the general elections has been subjected to misrepresentation by those who apparently have ulterior motives. And this is ominous, if we have recourse to our history. The 1993 general election was truncated by the military, on the dubious excuse that a series of court judgments, particularly the one by late Justice Bassey Ikpeme, were making a mockery of the judiciary.

    Considering that the nomination of candidates by political parties, as ordered by INEC, has since ended; the court order could not have been made for YDP’s inclusion in this year’s general elections. Asking INEC to register the party and issue it with a certificate of registration is not the same as asking the commission to include YDP’s candidates in the elections. If the court had meant that, it would have said so expressly.

    So, for the party to schedule its primaries for March 26 and 27, barely a day to the elections would suggest that its promoters have sinister motives. And if indeed that is the plan, then they should bury it; considering the dire consequences such brazen action could have on our fragile polity. While the real intent of the YDP remains a conjecture, many are afraid that the party may be a surrogate for those who are hell bent on holding on to power, without submitting themselves to the general elections.

    Such possibility is another reason why the courts must be circumspect in these politically perilous times. While the provisions of the constitution and the electoral act with regards to registration of political parties should be upheld at all times, the courts must be wary as it had done in this instance, when a litigant’s action is likely informed by bad faith.  The case of the YDP must be up for such scrutiny, considering the nearness of its action to the general elections. While it will be right to question whether INEC was tardy in appropriately handling the application of the YDP for registration, as alleged; we are of the opinion that the pendulum of justice at this critical time, must sway on the side of public interest. And this, we believe, is what the court has done. 

    The public interest as enunciated by the constitution and the electoral act is that general elections must hold, at least 30 days before May 29, which is the due date for handing over power. It is also the provision of the law that INEC is entitled to set down the programme of events as regards the elections. Part of that process is that political parties must hold their conventions and party primaries in advance, to elect their party candidates, to enable them participate in the election. This process has since been completed, and the nation is now on the countdown to the general elections, slated for March 28 and April 11.

    Now, the YDP is boasting that it has an order of court to participate in the 2015 general elections. Unless its plan is to participate in the 2019 general elections, or other by-elections that may hold before then, it is difficult to understand how it will participate in the 2015 general elections, for which the ballot papers have already been printed.

    If it is unrealistic for the YDP to participate in the 2015 elections, then its so-called preparation towards it can only be an attempt to truncate it. This must be avoided. In the meantime, INEC must quickly appeal the judgment, and expeditiously pursue same. These are not the best of times to take chances with the elections.