The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Friday it was still awaiting the court’s decision on the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate for the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State.
The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, stated this in a Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today.
Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on October 10 disqualified the APC candidate, Timipre Sylva, from participating in the election.
The judge, who delivered the ruling in a suit filed by an APC member in Bayelsa State, Deme Kolomo, held that Sylva who had been sworn in twice and ruled for five years as governor of the state would breach the 1999 Constitution if allowed to contest again.
In the programme, the INEC official also revealed that the Labour Party governorship candidate in Imo State, Athan Achonu, was awaiting confirmation from a court on his eligibility for the election.
Rotimi, however, said that he was not aware of any substitution or INEC decision on the candidates.
He said: “This is the situation; when there are legal cases, you have to wait until the end of the legal issues.
“When a court order comes and says we should drop a particular name and accept another, we do so. And then in the remarks column, we now say ‘by court order.
“The issue is that things can happen within a few days or a few weeks. If you have something today and the person is appealing to a higher court, you have to wait until the higher court takes a decision.”