The Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, has reprimanded its Kano State Legal Officer who issued a withdrawal letter in the appeal against the judgement of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
The National Commissioner and Chairman Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, said in a statement that the letter was not authorized and has since been withdrawn.
He said, “The attention of the Commission has been drawn to media reports based on a letter written by the Legal Officer of our Kano State office indicating that the Commission had withdrawn from the appeal process in the ongoing Kano Governorship election petition case.
“We wish to state categorically that the letter was not authorized. It has since been withdrawn and the officer reprimanded.”
Olumekun urged the public to discountenance the insinuation that the Commission has withdrawn from the case or abandoned the appeal.
“We wish to state categorically that where litigants join INEC in a case, the Commission is under obligation to respond accordingly. We have therefore instructed our lawyers to proceed in line with extant policy of the Commission. The policy has not changed.”
