Court Denies Ordering INEC To Include New Party In 2015 Elections

A Federal High Court in Abuja has threatened to cite the Young
Democratic Party (YDP) for contempt of court for distorting the ruling
of the court delivered on March 4, 2015.

Officials of the party had told a news conference that the court
ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to
accommodate the party in the forthcoming elections.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed, who delivered the ruling, said the statement
is not just an embarrassment to him as a judge but the entire
judiciary, because at no time did he give such an order.

"As far as this court is concerned, no such orders were made. In fact
even the plaintiff, the YDP, did not seek such reliefs from the court.
It is therefore very unfortunate that the court is portrayed in a very
negative perspective," the judge said.

"One would have expected the persons concerned to approach the court
to obtain certified true copies of the court judgment to see the
orders made by the court.

"In the light of this embarrassing circumstance, learned senior
counsel is directed to investigate this ugly development and bring the
person or persons who made the press conferences to appear in the
court to show where such orders were made.

"Failure which the court will not hesitate to charge any person who
misrepresented its judgement for contempt," he said.

The Judge said the party did not ask for that order and therefore he
could not have granted the order that the party be included in the
elections or that the elections should be postponed again to
accommodate the party

He therefore ordered lawyer to the party to investigate the claims and
produce officials of the party responsible for the statements or in
the alternative the party should hold a news conference to correct the
wrong impression made of the court.

Reacting to the allegation, counsel to the YDP, Kelvin Nwufo (SAN),
promised to investigate the matter and assured the court that the
interpretation was a misinformation of what the party said.

Meanwhile, Justice Ahmed Mohammed has adjourned hearing in the
application for stay of execution to the 23rd of March.
--ChannelsTV