Rivers Guber: Federal High Court Strikes out AAC suit against collation of election results

A suit filed by the African Action Congress, AAC, seeking to stop the Independent National Electoral Electoral Commission, INEC, from continuing the collation of Rivers gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections’ results have been struck out by the Federal High Court.

The court also ordered INEC to continue collation of results for the election.

The party on Monday filed the suit in a bid to stop INEC from declaring the results of the State Governorship election.

Collation of Results for the gubernatorial election was suspended by INEC following what it described as hostility towards its staff.

The Commission, however, sent a fact-finding committee to Rivers and announced that it will release a timeline and activities for the completion of the results collation on Wednesday, 20th March.

However, the APC backed AAC accused the commission of planning to rig the election in favour of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.

The party also sought the redeployment of the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the state, Obo Effanga.

But in the suit filed on Monday, the party also wanted INEC to further desist from concluding the results Collation Process.

The party, its Governorship Candidate, Engr Biokpomabo Festus Awara and Deputy Governorship Candidate, Pastor Ben-Gurion John Peter were plaintiffs in the suit while INEC and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were defendants.

The AAC sought an interlocutory injunction restraining INEC from further action in any manner including the counting/collation of votes, declaration and return of any candidate in the Governorship and State Assembly elections of Rivers State pending the determination of the substantive suit.

They said that the election was marred by unspeakable violence.