Independent National Electoral Commission, on Saturday, denied withdrawing from the appeal process in the ongoing Kano governorship election petition case.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Sam Olumekun, said this in a statement.
Earlier on Saturday, reports indicated confusion in Kano over a letter by INEC signifying its stand not to participate in the appeal against the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal judgement sacking Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party.
The letter dated October 6, and signed by the Head of Legal Department, INEC Kano, Suleiman Alkali, said the commission withdrew its appeal as it had no reason to appeal any judgment.
But INEC headquarters in the statement signed by Mr Olumekun, said that the letter was not authorised.
Olumekun said, “We wish to state categorically that the letter was not authorised. It has since been withdrawn and the officer reprimanded.
“The public is therefore advised to discountenance the insinuation that the Commission has withdrawn from the case or even worse abandoned the appeal.”
He said that where litigants join INEC in a case, the commission is under obligation to respond accordingly.
According to him, “We have therefore instructed our lawyers to proceed in line with extant policy of the Commission. The policy has not changed.”
SEGUN OLATUNJI
SEGUN OLATUNJI
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Nigeria calls for ceasefire, dialogue between Israel, Hamas
by FirstNews October 8, 2023 Reading Time: 2min read
Nigeria calls for ceasefire, dialogue between Israel, Hamas
Federal Government has called for a ceasefire and dialogue on the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hamas.
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Palestinian armed group Hamas launched an attack on Saturday against Israel.
The attack code-named “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”, is the most serious escalation since Israel and Hamas fought an 11-day war in 2021.
Hamas said it had fired 5,000 rockets, while Israel confirmed that the group’s fighters had entered its territory.
The first round of rockets was fired at 06:30 am local time (03:30 GMT).
In a statement signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria said the escalation between both countries would result in an unending cycle of pain and suffering for the civilian population, advising that both parties should exercise restraint and prioritise the safety of civilians.
The statement read, “The Federal Government of Nigeria is deeply concerned about the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the early hours of Saturday, October 7 2023, and calls for de-escalation and ceasefire.
“The cycle of violence and retaliation that the current escalation has assumed only serves to perpetuate an unending cycle of pain and suffering for the civilian population, that bears the brunt of every conflict.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria, therefore, calls on both sides to exercise restraint, prioritise the safety of civilians and give room for humanitarian considerations.
“We are therefore calling for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue.”
