Hope Democratic Party Moves To Abort Presidential Inauguration

In a determined move to abort the inauguration of President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo on Sunday 29 May, the Hope Democratic Party on Wednesday filed an application before the Presidential Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja  for an order of injunction restraining them from presenting themselves for swearing in as elected president and vice president until the petition filed against their victory in the April polls has been determined.

The party also asked the tribunal to issue an order of mandatory injunction directing the Independent National Electoral Commission to suspend and withdraw the certificate of return already issued to the President and his deputy as president-elect and vice-president-elect respectively.The tribunal has slated the application for hearing on Friday 27 May 2011. The party had earlier filed a petition before the tribunal asking it to nullify the presidential election and set aside INEC’s declaration of Jonathan as the winner of the election on the ground that the conduct of the presidential election did not comply with the Electoral Act 2010 as amended and the 1999 Constitution.The party’s presidential candidate, Chief Ambrose Owuru alleged that over 30 million votes cast for him were diverted to the Peoples Democratic Party and is demanding that these 30 million votes diverted to the PDP be returned to him so he can be declared the winner of that election.

The party is also challenging the rescheduling of the Presidential Election without an Act of parliament and argued that INEC did not comply with the provisions of the constitution and the Electoral Act which require that election be held on a stipulated date. The party argued that for INEC to select another date other than 9 April for which the presidential election was originally scheduled, it ought to go back to the National Assembly to effect necessary changes in the dates.

It further argued that for the shift in the date of the presidential election to be valid, there must be evidence of crisis, breach of peace or any natural disaster. The party however contended that none of these occurrences recognised by law happened and therefore shifting the presidential election from 9 April to 16 April  was manifestly unconstitutional.

The party said that the return of Jonathan as the winner of the election was also invalid by reason of non-compliance with the provision of the Electoral Act.

By Nnamdi Felix/Abuja