The Nigerian opposition Political Parties under the umbrella of Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, on Friday expressed shock at the reason the Supreme Court gave in the appeal filed by the consensus opposition candidate in the last Presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by it’s National Spokesperson, Barrister Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere declared that the singular act had returned the nation’s democracy and electoral process back to the dark era.
According to the Coalition, “our nation’s democracy and electoral processes have been set back to the dark ages. The Constitution, Electoral Act and the Supreme Court had always been in agreement on the powers of the INEC to set guidelines and the need for the guidelines to be obeyed since the power to set such guidelines were constitutional, the Supreme Court has in the reasons given in the judgment by implication nullified the powers of INEC to make guidelines as the Form CF001 wherein a demand for producing credentials have been nullified by the Court.
“Indeed the Court has held that seeking the highest office in the land requires the least possible qualification in the land. How absurd?
“The judgment of the Court of Appeal was delivered on the 11th of September, 2019. The Supreme Court today the 15th November 2019 gave reasons for its decision on 30th October 2019
“However, going by the judgment of the same Supreme Court delivered in the case of PDP V. ROCHAS OKOROCHA & ORS. (SC.17/2012) where the Supreme Court analyzed the position of the law on giving the reasons outside the stipulated 60 days provided by the Constitution, the judgment of the Supreme Court delivered today is null and void and of no effect
