Obey Court Orders, Substitute Names of 130 Candidates, NNPP Begs INEC

•Urges security agencies to go after those trying to frustrate INEC from conducting the elections

Juliet Akoje in Abuja

With 43 days to the presidential and National Assembly elections, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to as a matter of urgency comply with the court orders by substituting close to 130 candidates of the party for the state Houses of Assembly members, National Assembly and deputy governors to enable them to participate in the polls.

The party has, however, expressed confidence in Prof. Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC’s ability to deliver free, fair, credible elections.

Addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja, the NNPP National Chairman, Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali, said it had become very imperative for INEC to carry out the replacement of candidates because the cases were expeditiously delivered by the courts so as to further build up the confidence of the political parties and the general public in the Commission’s unflinching and unwavering commitment to conducting free, fair and credible election in the 2023 general elections.

Alkali who also appealed to the judiciary to attend to the cases against NNPP candidates speedily, however, urged its candidates to continue with their campaigns, saying, “All those whose names have been approved by the courts, we urge INEC to take appropriate action.”

Meanwhile, the NNPP National Chairman has urged the security agencies to go after those trying to frustrate the Commission in conducting free, fair and credible elections.

Alkali said: “It is very important we find out, any anti-democratic forces that are trying to undermine this process, they should not be allowed to succeed.”

Alkali said, “We also as a party and the party leaders and people are looking at us and the only way is to go to the courts and they have also given us relief. That is why we are saying that all those people whose names have now been approved by the court as we are praying, pleading with INEC to do the needful. Let them process everything and they are going to continue with the process of our elections.

“We have invited you members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm to brief you on activities involving our party, NNPP, especially our court matters with the Independent National Electoral Commission. Our party has reasons to take INEC to court over disagreements on the issue of uploading and submission of the names of some of our candidates.

“Our great party, New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) wishes to use this medium to express our appreciation and gratitude to the Nigerian judiciary for being the last bastion of hope for the people and a pillar of democracy and democratic processes particularly leading to the 2023 general election.

“We also wish to use this medium to most especially appreciate INEC under the able leadership of amiable Patriotic Prof. Mahmood Yakubu for its h sense of responsibility to the promotion of rule of law and commitment to conducting the most credible election in 2023.

“In the same spirit, we most humbly urge the commission to urgently comply with the court orders expeditiously delivered by the courts so as to further build up the confidence of the political parties and the general public in the commission’s unflinching and unwavering commitment to conducting free, fair and credible election in the 2023 general election.”