Breaking News: Atiku's Name Omitted From Inec List

News just coming in from bbcnews.com has it that Atiku's name is not on the list just released by INEC!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6452725.stm

Trouble?

And So What? Who Cares. Was He EVer Fit to Run? I Tell U He Wld Be Spoiling For War/ Bloodshed Now. I Know Only His Blood Wld Spill.

Magomago~let's see how things unfold

This is no breaking news, all who knew the provisions of the contitution are surely not suprised including the VP

Be careful what you ask for!

He won the cases filed against him, so what disqualified him? I havent read the papers yet maybe u can help me out.

 @ Iyke-D

ROFL

@all

but for real, what's the charge against him this time?

Atiku is fighting an already lost battle

wat can we say its a dog eat dog world, poor fella.

@mariory

na you know oh! na you know!

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Thursday released the lists of candidates for the presidential and National Assembly elections with the exclusion of the name of the vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. INEC, through its commissioner in charge of media and publicity, Mr. Philip Umeadi, had explained on Wednesday that the vice president would have to await the outcome of a suit filed against a ruling by the high court that it had no power to disqualify any candidate from the election.


The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Umar Yar’Adua and his counterparts in the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Fresh Party, Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari, Chief Chukwuemeka Ojukwu and Pastor Chris Okotie, were among other presidential candidates cleared for the April polls.


Other candidates include Professor Pat Utomi of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atahiru Bafarawa of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Major (Dr.) Mojisola Adekunle-Obasanjo (MMM), Orji Uzor Kalu of the Peoples Progressives Alliance (PPA), Adebayo Adefarati of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and Alhaji Aliyu Habu Fari of the National Democratic Party (NDP)


Others include Mallam Aminu Gabati Abubakar of the National Unity Party (NUP), Galtima Baboyi Liman of the New Nigerians Peoples Party (NNPP), Prof Isa Odidi of Nigerian Democrats (ND), Maxi Okwu of the Conference of Political Parties (CPP) and Arthur Nwankwo of the Peoples Movement Party (PMP).


The rest are Dr. Iheanyichukwu Godswill of BMPP, Chief Emmanuel Osita Okereke of African Labour Party (ALP), Chief Sunny Joseph Okogwu of the Republican Party of Nigeria (RPN), Chief Ambrose Owuru of the HDP and Dr. Brimmy Asekharuagbom Olaghere of the Nigerians Peoples Congress (NPC).


Others are Dr. Olapade Agoro of the National Action Congress (NAC), Mr. Lawrence Adedoyin (APS), Dr. Akpone Solomon (NMDP) and Mr. Osagie Obayuwama of the NCP. Addressing the media in Abuja before the release of the list, the INEC chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu, explained the reason for the exclusion of the name of the vice president from the list.


Iwu said although Alhaji Abubakar stated the fact about himself in his presidential nomination paper, his commission did not include his name on the list because he failed to meet constitutional requirements on qualification of candidates for the April poll. INEC, he explained, did not disqualify Atiku but only did not include his name among the qualified presidential candidates because of his case of indictment by the Federal Government and the issuance of a White Paper on the case.


He referred to an earlier ruling by the court which he said affirmed the power of INEC to verify documents submitted to it by candidates and screen the candidates, adding that the court also affirmed that it had the authority to exclude candidates who he said failed to meet constitutional requirements. He said candidates whose names did not appear in the presidential list had violated some relevant sections of the constitution guiding the qualification of candidates for elections such as sections 65, 66, 131,137 for the office of president.


“It may be pertinent to also point out that section 32(5) of the Electoral Act refers to disqualification of candidates who have deposed to false information in their affidavit. It does not in the opinion of the commission and in the opinion of all the legal experts we have consulted refer to those who had given correct information, but who are precluded or disqualified by constitutional provisions”.


Iwu said that with the release of the list of presidential candidates and those seeking election into the National Assembly, the commission was set to conduct the freest and fairest elections in the nation’s history. He dismissed speculations about the possible postponement of the April elections, stressing that the constitution did not make provisions for such a postponement.


In another development, Vice President Abubakar also on Thursday lost in two federal high courts sitting in Abuja, in his battle to quash the indictment for corruption hanging on his neck, and make him constitutionally fit to run for president in the April polls. In one of the cases decided by Justice Binta Murtala Nyako, a motion filed by Atiku challenging his indictment by the Administrative Panel of Inquiry headed by the Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN), wherein President Olusegun Obasanjo was listed as one of the nine defendants, was thrown out.


The second loss was before Justice Babs Kuewumi, who refused an application filed by the vice president, seeking to commence contempt proceedings against the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Maurice Iwu and the commission’s Head, Legal Department, Mr. Oluwole Osaze Uzzi, over their alleged refusal to comply with the court’s order that the commission lacked the power to disqualify him from participating in the forthcoming presidential election.


Justice Nyako struck out Atiku’s motion following obvious confusion in the legal camp of the vice president, which culminated in its decision to withdraw the motion, on which the permission of the court had earlier been sought to amend. The legal team of Atiku had made it impossible for the hearing of the suit to commence at the last two adjourned dates, with the Federal Government having to complain to the court on the perceived lack of seriousness on the part of the plaintiffs to prosecute the matter.

After Atiku’s counsel got the permission of the court to amend their motion the first time the case came up for mention, the next adjourned date saw the group asking the judge to disqualify herself from the suit on sundry grounds, as her hearing the case, which they alleged, would make fair hearing and justice impossible before the court.


The definite hearing of the matter that was expected to begin yesterday brought another surprise package from the Atiku legal team, as it applied to the court to have the matter withdrawn, claiming that the interests of the vice president had been taken care of in the judgment delivered by Justice Kuewumi last week, to the effect that the electoral body could not disqualify candidate presented by a political party for the general election.
Justice Nyako later struck out the suit.


However, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN), who held the brief of the Federal Government, insisted that the plaintiff must be compelled to pay cost for “deliberately” wasting the time of the court and the defendants. Toeing the same path, counsel to the INEC, Mr. Joe Gadzama (SAN), asked for N50,000 cost, while Ojo asked for N100,000. Justice Nyako, however, cut the cost to N2,000 each for the nine defendants.


In the suit before Justice Kuewumi, the court refused to grant a prayer by Atiku that the notice of disobedience to court order and other processes in the suit should be served on Iwu and Osaze, through substituted service, by way of publishing them in a national newspaper. Atiku’s counsel, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), had told the court while moving the application that the duo had held the judgment of Kuewumi that INEC could not disqualify any candidate in contempt, by refusing to recognise Atiku as the presidential candidate of the Action Congress (AC).


He added that granting the substituted service application would make it possible for the court to ask the duo why they should not be committed to prison for refusing to obey the order of the court. After a brief adjournment, Justice Kuewumi came back to tell the applicant that more efforts should be made to get the INEC chiefs served personally, holding that failing in his first attempt to sever the defendants would not be enough for him to grant Atiku his prayer for substituted service.


The suit on the indictment was brought by the Action Congress {AC}challenging the indictment of 27 of its candidates for the general election in April by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The Federal Government, in its reply, had insisted that the party’s candidates were not in any way higher or different from other Nigerians indicted in the gazette. Meanwhile, Vice President Abubakar on Thursday arrived Abuja on board Nigeria Air force Jet with registration number 5N FGS after undergoing a surgery on his broken right knee in a London hospital .


Vice President Abubakar had arrived aboard the jet at 4:20p.m. and alighted at 4:35p.m. in crutches. He wore brown jacket over white shirt and black trousers. He was received on arrival by dignitaries including the AC national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande; Chief Yemi Edu, AC National scribe, Alhaji Lawal Kaita, the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) National Chairman Chief Alexis Anielo and former Minister, Chief (Mrs) Funke Adedoyin, among others. Addressing newsmen at his private residence, Vice President Abubakar said his disqualification was not surprising and unexpected.


He said all attempts had been made by the presidency to prevent him from running in the 2007 polls, citing cases of his expulsion from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which he helped established and his alleged sack as the vice president by President Olusegun Obasanjo. Other instances he mentioned included the sacking of his staff and withdrawal of his privileges. Vice President Abubakar promised to fight his disqualification by the INEC in court up to the Supreme Court level.


According to him, if the court should pronounce that he had been illegally and unconstitutionally prevented from contesting the 2007 polls, any election conducted under such instance would become a nullity. Vice President Abubakar has, therefore, sued INEC for unlawful exclusion. Atiku, in an originating summons supported by four paragraphs affidavit deposed to by one Kolawole Olowokere, filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, shortly after the release of the list, also joined the INEC chairman, Professor Iwu, as a defendant in the suit.


In the suit, the vice president is seeking, among other reliefs, “a declaration that the defendants can only exclude the 1st plaintiff from contesting election to the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria upon pronouncements of a competent court in that respect.”


He, therefore, sought an order of the court restraining the defendants from “excluding and/or attempting to exclude the name of the 1st plaintiff as the presidential candidate of the 2nd plaintiff into the office of the president except upon the pronouncement of a competent court of law.”

Are we not setting a bad precedence?? when the court vindicated the man of all charges and he was still disqualified. If we are hailing INEC for  flouting court orders where would we now go for justice in Nigeria. As long as OTA farm is satisfied the court can go to hell?? so the highest court in the land is OBJ's thinking. If Nigerians dont want the man why should we not get at him at the polls instead of encouraging lawlessness. Are we not being part of the plan to promote executive gangsterism and lawlessness?
God bless Nigeria.

Poor atiku!!

Let him just wish Yar' Adua well and live.

This Monster Atiku should go back to the London hospital he has left prematurely. In fact, he might have well have moved there permanently as that's where he belongs.

His disqualification is good news for all well meaning Nigerians. He has nothing more to offer our dear country except curruption, graft and manipulation of our minds.

Rule of law states Atiku may not contest until the courts dismiss the indictment against him. The constitution says so. Plain and simple. Until the courts decide Atiku cannot and will not contest.

Section 137.1(i)
http://www.nigeria-law.org/ConstitutionOfTheFederalRepublicOfNigeria.htm#Chapter_6

There is no single truth in any sentence of this comment