Election postponement: Kayode Ajulo faults INEC’s decision to stop political campaigns

A Human Rights lawyer Dr Kayode Ajulo, on Monday, faulted the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the ban on
campaign.

NAN reports that the two leading parties, All Progressives
Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday
argued that the commission’s restriction has no basis in law.

Ajulo in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on
Monday in Ilorin, that the chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu
could not by mere pronouncement amend the provisions of Section 99
of the Electoral Act.

According to Ajulo, Section 99 of the electoral act allows
political campaign till 24 hours to election.

He said he would continue to campaign for the candidate of his
choice in accordance with the law of the land.

Ajulo said that INEC’s directive should be ignored, adding that
he would be having a solo road show for his candidate, President
Muhammadu Buhari to activate the above statutory provision and test
the efficacy of the illegal ban.

According to him, as it is now, many people have been canvassing
and mentioning section 100 of the electoral act which says INEC can
make any rule.

” There is one thing about rule of specific and all those
provisions they mentioning did not specify.

“One thing we should understand is that if that section 100 had
section 99 in mind, it would have say notwithstanding section 99,
it would have been specific,” he said.

He said that those backing INEC on the no campaign issue also
gave credence to section 160 of the constitution, regarding the
power of INEC to stop campaign 24 hours to the election.

The lawyer who also double as the secretary of Forward With
Buhari (FWB) said that such power in section 160 of the
constitution would not help INEC to make such order.

According to him, what that section is talking about is
political parties and candidates, I am not a political party and I
am not a candidate

“All those laws they are saying is addressed to political
parties and their candidates, this order did not stop any
independent campaign organisation to go on campaign.

Ajulo stated that anything INEC said to that effect would not
affect his campaigning for his candidate and would embark on a road
show to canvass vote for President Buhari.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that INEC had, in the
early hours of Feb. 16, postponed the presidential and National
Assembly elections to Feb. 23 and also banned political parties
from campaigning.

Meanwhile, NAN reports that ollowing the opposition of the APC
and PDP, INEC is due meet to review the restriction.

INEC, according to its national chairman’s Chief Press
Secretary, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, would meet to review its position
and decide whether or not to reopen campaigns.