The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), charged with the responsibility of conducting election naturally would have been on recess since after conducting the 2015 general elections, but the electoral umpire seems to have been busy with some cases still pending in courts in Plateau State and other parts of the country to determine pre election and election matters.

It was gathered by our corresponding partners that, most of the pending cases are due to internal wrangling in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during its 2015 primary elections in the state, while some are from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which arose out of the rerun election ordered by the Court of Appeal for Langtang South State Constituency in the state.

First on the list of political matters pending in Plateau Courts, is the case filed by a former Minister of Information, Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande (APC), who is challenging Hon. Sulieman Kwande (APC), Member representing Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
Also pending, is the case filed by Hon. Abdul Saleh (APC) challenging the qualification of Hon. Ibrahim Baba Hassan (APC), Member representing Jos North-North Constituency in the Plateau State House of Assembly.

Eelven months after also, the election to fill the vacant seat in the Plateau State House Assembly for Member representing Langtang South Constituency is still pending, as the PDP had dragged INEC to the Federal High Court sitting in Jos, the state capital, challenging the powers of INEC to exclude the party and its candidate in the rerun election ordered by the Court of Appeal for that seat.
It would be recalled that in the Langtang South, the following Orders were already granted the PDP by the Court, but INEC is seeking the Court to vary or discharge them.

1. An Order restraining the Defendant, its agents, privies or assigns or any other person acting through it, or however from giving effect to the Defendant’s notice/decision as contained in its Public Notice and Annexures A and B, (Exhibits 1, 1A and 1B attached to the affidavit in support of this Motion) or by any letter or correspondence or by any other manner whatsoever, excluding the Plaintiff and its candidate in any manner whatsoever from contesting and participating in the re-run election for the seat of Member representing Langtang South Constituency of Plateau State for refusing to put the Plaintiff’s name and logo on the Ballot Papers to be used in the re-run election for seat of Member representing Langtang South Constituency to be held on 20th February, 2016 or at any other scheduled date for the said election, pending the determination of the Interlocutory application before it.

2. An Order restraining the Defendant, whether by itself, its agents, privies or assigns or any other person acting through it, or howsoever from excluding the Plaintiff and its candidate in any manner whatsoever from participating and contesting in the re-run election for seat of Member representing Langtang South Constituency or refusing to include the Plaintiff’s name and logo on the Ballot Papers to be used in the re-run election for the seat of Member representing Langtang South Constituency of Plateau State to hold on 20th February, 2016 or at any other scheduled date for the said election, pending the determination of the Interlocutory application before it.

Speaking on the issue, INEC spokesman in the State, Mr  Osaretin Imahiyereobo, said, “naturally the commission is not supposed to go to sleep after every election year. Apart from the rerun coming as a result of court rulings, INEC starts preparation for the next four years with seminars of voters education and so on”.

Mr Imahiyereobo is also quoted saying that in as much as the rerun elections are anticipated, it exposes INEC to the antics of politicians.

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A year after the 2015 election, Dasuki Nakande’s case against Kwande still hotting up