The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has denied withdrawing from the appeal process non abandoned the appeal process, in the ongoing Kano governorship election petition case.
In statement signed by the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its committee on Information and Voter Education, Sam Olumekun, disclosed this in Abuja on Saturday.
The INEC commissioner, Olumekun, added that the commission’s legal officer, who purportedly withdrew from the case, has been reprimanded.
The statement read, “The attention of the Commission has been drawn to media reports based on a letter written by the Legal Officer of our Kano State office indicating that the Commission had withdrawn from the appeal process in the ongoing Kano Governorship election petition case.
“We wish to state categorically that the letter was not authorized. It has since been withdrawn and the officer reprimanded.
“The public is therefore advised to discountenance the insinuation that the Commission has withdrawn from the case or even worse abandoned the appeal.
“We wish to state categorically that where litigants join INEC in a case, the Commission is under obligation to respond accordingly.
“We have, therefore, instructed our lawyers to proceed in line with extant policy of the Commission. The policy has not changed.”
