A Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, has ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has no powers to disqualify the presidential candidate of the Action Congress, Atiku Abubakar, or any other candidate from contesting the elections.

Delivering judgement on the suit filed by Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Justice Babs Kewunmi said the powers to disqualify any candidate is not vested in INEC, but in the court.

Good News!

where is the link to this story. either way ATIKU will not contest

http://www.leadershipnigeria.com/product_info.php?products_id=2187

FINAL RESULT

[size=18pt]13 0[/size]

we shall see

OBJ AND I will disqualify him. all we need is 1 court

VINDICATION AT LAST! either he wins or not, ATIKU has won my vote for his tenacity in the face of adversary. He won his victory fair and square. Nigerian electorate should have the opportunity to accept or reject him at the poll, that decision should never be made for us by OBJ and his like.

haba people, when ATIKU was stealing and mis managing Nigeria funds don't you guys think he should be responsible and accountable for his action regardless if he gave or spend the money on his boss? as a vice president entrust with enormous responsibility to be responsible to the people who elect him, he should stop all the parambulating and go to jail in peace.

There is a Yoruba adage that say, agba ki wa'loja k' ori omo tutun wo crudely translated that an adult shouldn't let a minor issue become larger by not mediating it. The electorate are the adult here and will mediate this issue between OBJ and ATIKU

there is a mohican adage that says jumbolo tolobolita

OBJ and his cohorts should know better about respecting our constitution/laws, and avoid embarrassment by the courts.

PDP is already losing the polls.
Even the times don't favour OBJ and his zombies.

How is PDP loosing and you name Yar ADUA and the whole country was on stand by? DUH

People are just getting carried away, INEC has no powers to disqualify anybody only corroborates what Iwu has been saying. He has never pretended that INEC did have powers to do that.

But the fact remains that there is difference between disqualifying someone originally qualified and barring someone not qualified for elections as a result of the provision of the constitution This particular Judge held that INEC had powers to verify candidate claims, I wonder what the output of such an excersize will be if not to either clear or bar candidates.

Talking about the political parties being the only ones to verify and bar candidates I wonder what constitution of the world will intentional provide a tool to circumvent it. What this claim translates into is that lets say hypothetically that for any reason MEND metamorphoses into a political party. Nigeria and INEC will wait for MEND to screen out the likes of Asari Dokubo to take part in elections.  Ludicrous

Atiku should keep on bitting about the Bush, if he likes he should go to the world courts in the Hague he will not take part in elections.

i will so vote for atiku,thats the kind of man we need,winning against the establishment

@mckren,
i can see you have a problem with democracy,law and order. in a democracy there is so much freedom that you are even free to be foolish. if MEND should be a political party and they fullfill the requirements for such, INEC must obey. if they choose a lizard as their candidate and the lizard fullfills the conditions for the office, the lizard will contest. that is democracy. if people dont want it the legislature makes a new law. period.

but to act outside an existing law is pure rascality and that is what OBJ has been doing all this while which now makes a notorious person like Atiku look like a victim and attract public sympathy.

see, Atiku is very notorious, but with all the witchhuntingagainst him, OBJ has, albeit unwittingly, made Atiku popular. it now looks like Atiku is a freedom fighter. a man of the people. tell obasanjo to follow the law.

i can see you have a problem with democracy,law and order

I simply have more respect for humanity and justice.

if they choose a lizard as their candidate and the lizard fullfills the conditions for the office, the lizard will contest

Who determines and implemets that clause is the issue.
Nigeria's definition of democracy is not what democracy is about. It simply does not represent what democracy stands for. Thats simple, people can not wallow in corruption hoping to pull a wool over our eyes in the name of protecting the tenets of democracy.

Democracy however you want to define it, if it does not guarantee protection of lives and property of the citizenry it is not worth practicing. People can not continue to exploit the naive and vulnerable Nigerians on the streets whom they have impoverished and denied quality education, People who they have taught to believe that poverty is their destiny, people who simply do not know the difference between what they want and what they need as a result of their clandestine activities.
At the end of the day you now say only these same people must decide their own future, that is simply practicing democracy for the sake it and I personally see it as the height of wickedness and irresponsibility.

but to act outside an existing law is pure rascality and that is what OBJ has been doing all this while which now makes a notorious person like Atiku look like a victim and attract public sympathy.

It depends on what you mean by the law, I think what should be law in this country is what the constitution says to the letter not what the AC post on media. Even this latest court judgement go and read it yourself, forget the interpretation given to it by AC.
The judge said INEC has no powers to disqualify Atiku but INEC has powers to screen or verify candidates. Now whose responsibility is it to implement section 137 of the constitution. There was no clause there suggesting that it can only be implemented by political parties.

Common sense should tell you that going by provision of section 137 ofthe constitution political parties owe it as a duty to their political party that their candidate for election is fit for purpose however INEC owe is as a duty to Nigeria and Nigerians that candidates standing election are fit for purpose.
Talking about rascality, the true rascals are Atiku and AC. They are simply re-writing the constitution.  Go and read the constitution of Nigeria yourself and you will see where am coming from.

Hogwash!You sit atop of your keyboard,postulating about the Nigerian constitution!Turaki has won 13 cases speedily brought to trial by Bayo Ojo and OBJ!13!The courts interpreted the constitution of the Federal Republic with a sense of fairplay and reason!OBJ is a desperate man,no one has come out to show any concrete evidence that Turaki is corrupt!The man deftfully and carefully orchestrated a campaign aimed at shredding any iota of respectability OBJ claimed to possess!He castigated him at Chatam house,exposing his greed and corruption,disobedience of the ruling of the Courts,did same when he addressed the Committee of Foreign Relations in the US!Atiku so far seems to be the winner and i know that their attempts at using mago mago has not stopped!Atiku might not eventually win but before he leaves the stage OBJ wolud have been soiled dirty,publicly humiliated and disgraced. I think that is the strategy of Atiku~he knows the opposition and he's playing 'em well!Anyways Atiku aside we all can see OBJ's policies~the man is useless period.For his kith and kin on this forum,i tender my sincere comments,no apologies~the man has wasted many a chance of leap frogging the economy,but a las he's but a barbarian at heart,uncivil,uncultured,bestial

If he likes he should win 20 cases, it absolutely amounts to nothing. That a corrupt politician has won 20 cases in a row in a corrupt justice system simply changes nothing. Who does not know that our justice system is a fraud.

If he likes he should win 20 cases, it absolutely amounts to nothing. That a corrupt politician has won 20 cases in a row in a corrupt justice system simply changes nothing. Who does not know that our justice system is a fraud.

Thanks McKren for still being around to enlighten these stupid Atiku's maroons.

He won court cases in the most fraud-infected court system in the world, yet he hides under immunity and cannot be sued.

Atiku cannot be sued because he is under immunity and prefers to recklessly bribe our fraudulent judiciary to dance his tune.

He is more like bragging and playing hide-and-seek game with our constitution. Saying, hahaha, come and get me!!!

He is an indicted man and remains disqualified. Period!!!

@mckren,
believe me, the courts are not interested in humanity and human rights. the courts are not interested in human sympathy or emotions. the courts are not interested in feelings, or poverty or fairness, or any form of "common sense". the courts are interested in law and order.period.

what does the law say? facts and figures. no emotions. it's not for the courts to make laws or to determine who lays out the clause for elections. the courts wants to know what u did and how it affected already existing laws. after all, no be OBJ govt make many of these laws wey courts dey interprete.

i dont like atiku, but OBJ should do things the right way. haba . why didn't he change the constitution all these years about immunity? why? even when he wanted to ammend the constitution for his own greed, he went about it like a tout. obj has never been a man of law and order. now he is getting embarrased and u are blaming the courts. shuo!!!

That a corrupt politician has won 20 cases in a row in a corrupt justice system simply changes nothing. Who does not know that our justice system is a fraud.

Bigoted,inflammatory gibberish!This is the first place i'm learning that the Justices were compromised.Anyways,that ludicrous statement,puts to rest the depth or lack of you possess about current issues!If this conspiracy theory of yours is true,how come the FG has not had the Nigerian Judicial Council investigate these Justices?How come the media is not awash with thses untruths?Bros!You apparently let your infantile emotion overwhelm your sense of objectivity most times.The Coutrs interpreted the law period,without fear or favor!Why then come here and show your ignorance and gullibility about simple things like constitutional provisions?Atiku if corrupt,must be found guilty by law,if incompetent as per running for office,it must be done constitutionally,not with fraud and overt disregard for the rule of law!

Thanks McKren for still being around to enlighten these stupid Atiku's maroons.

He won court cases in the most fraud-infected court system in the world, yet he hides under immunity and cannot be sued.

Atiku cannot be sued because he is under immunity and prefers to recklessly bribe our fraudulent judiciary to dance his tune.

He is more like bragging and playing hide-and-seek game with our constitution. Saying, Haha, come and get me!!!

He is an indicted man and remains disqualified. Period!!!

Another one!Who says our judiciary is most corrupt?If my memory serves me right you did infact label the media as corrupt!It pays to see reason at times and not to expose one's stupeferous know-nothingisms on the www>!Get your facts correct and it's called slowpoke and spelt as pronounced you slowpoke

Get your facts correct and it's called slowpoke and spelt as pronounced you slowpoke

Shut up and go teach your Atiku English, you dumb!!!

Definitions of maroons:
Runaway slaves in the Americas who gathered in mountainous, forested, or swampy regions and built their own self-governing communities.

Atiku's maroons like you are like run away slaves led by a blind fool.

Definitions of maroons:
Runaway slaves in the Americas who gathered in mountainous, forested, or swampy regions and built their own self-governing communities.

Atiku's maroons like you are like run away slaves lead by a blind fool.

O THAT MAROON?First,the use of the word is out of context!Let me help in elucidating further~

ma·roon1 (mə-rūn')

[From French marron, fugitive slave, from American Spanish cimarrón, wild, runaway, perhaps from cima, summit (from runaways' fleeing to the mountains), from Latin cma, sprout; see cyma.]

transitive verb: -rooned, -roon·ing, -roons.
To put ashore on a deserted island or coast and intentionally abandon.
To abandon or isolate with little hope of ready rescue or escape: The travelers were marooned by the blizzard.
noun

A fugitive Black slave in the West Indies in the 17th and 18th centuries.
A descendant of such a slave.
A person who is marooned, as on an island.
ma·roon2 (mə-rūn')

AS you can see it could mean other things from what you claim,not just in America but a maroon or someone marooned could be in the EU too(sound familiar)?
Anyways not only are you a despicable bigot,also rather uninformed,shallow and mindless
Where have you seen me as an Atiku fan?I did try to appeal to your sense of reason,with the idea though later disproved;that as aresident in the EU(20 ODD YEARS YOU CLAIM), YOU MUST BE PROFICIENT IN MENTAL CAPABILITIES TO AN EXTENT!Alas,you did prove me wrong~docile,tunnel-vision.thick skulled peasant with no sense of objectivityat all.Rather pathognomic of rural rustic folk,no learning,domesticated with an air of moribound monumental ignorant bliss!
Anyways knave~you indeed a slowpoke and a maroon of the very nature of your environment!Go suck on that~lout

Thief hiding behind court judgements.

alabiyemmi, Atiku is not a thief. We have EFCC,ICPC and FIU and non have been able to publish the account Atiku lodge the alleged money he took from PTDF

until they find the lodgment b4 they conclude he is a thief?

alabiyemmy:

until they find the lodgment before they conclude he is a thief?

oh! please, wats your point exactly?

The court which is the apex arbiter has declared ATIKU uncorrupt and free to contest. Atiku is only guilty in the mind of OBJ and his cohort I wonder whom we should listen to OBj should be ashamed as he has been defeated how many times, countless. ATK is innocent until proven guilty let OBJ prove him guilty at the courts.

Some even accused ATIKU of bribing the judges the ATK must be very powerful to 'outbribe" the Presidency.
I guess the judiciary would not be corrupt if they find ATK guilty of anything even if its walking at night.

The court which is the apex arbiter has declared ATIKU uncorrupt and free to contest

Point of correction no court has declared that ATIKU is not corrupt. Maybe you should go through the judgement once again.

naija4life:

oh! please, wats your point exactly?

Read the comment before mine and you will understand my point.

Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu has warned that the situation in Niger Delta may degenerate to a war situation like in the case of Liberia, Sierria Leone and Somalia if the crisis is not checked.
Ribadu gave the warning at the pre-convocation lecture of the University of Abuja where he stressed that societies that have failed to ask and answer important questions have found themselves in history books as failed states.
"What is happening in Niger Delta is not being taken seriously and is very sad. It may actually end up being bigger little by little. If we are not careful chances are that the 140 million Nigerians may end up like a Liberia or a Sierria Leone or a Somalia.
"When we are trying to fight corruption a lot of people are saying it must be business as usual. If you touch them, you are touching democracy, if you touch them you are touching the rule of law. But they will never succeed Nigeria will never be a Congo.”
The EFCC boss, while warning on the danger of ignoring the Niger Delta crisis gave the example of Mobutu Sese Seko who “severally raped his country of all its assets, he effectively under developed the country as most corrupt dictators do, and at the end he fled to Europe with about $3 billion after laying the basis for a civil war that has now cost his country of thousands and thousands of lives.”
He added: "You cannot be gentle on corruption… the terminal effect could be the life of the nation itself. Indeed the most ruthless and corrosive solvent that the history of the world has known is called corruption”.
Ribadu said the attack the Commission has been getting from the media is because the few corrupt elite owned 60 per cent of the media.
"The few corrupt elite, every public officer you see with interest in the media in both electronic and print media that have been attacking us control 60 per cent of the media,” he added.

@McKaren

That is true - the man knows what he is doing. The politicians are using rule of law and democracy and recently the courts to hide their wickedness and continue to rape the country while crying foul.