UPN presidential candidate, others sue INEC over disqualification

Presidential candidate of Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, Mrs. Helen Godswill, has instituted a legal suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, before a Lagos Federal High Court, over the non-publication of her name as a candidate of the party for the forthcoming general elections.
Godswill, UPN and other candidates of the party for election into various elective positions, accused INEC of failing to publish their names as required by Section 34 of the Electoral Act.
The UPN presidential candidate personally deposed to an affidavit in support of the suit wherein she recalled that despite the fact that INEC monitored the primary elections conducted by the party to select candidates for various elective positions, the Commission nonetheless failed to publish their names for the election, thereby disqualifying UPN candidates from participating in the forthcoming general elections.
But Justice Abang, in a brief ruling, converted the ex-parte application to motion on notice, saying that justice of the matter demands that INEC should be given opportunity to react to the suit before a decision is arrived at one way or the other.
The judge said, “I have gone through the process filed by the applicants. If indeed INEC was furnished with the applicants’ name and yet the Commission did not enlist their names for the general elections, then it is proper for rule of fair hearing to allow INEC to come and explain why the names of the applicants were not listed as alleged.”
The judge further ordered that the said motion on notice should be served on INEC on or before March 9, 2015, while the suit was adjourned to March 11, 2015 for hearing.