At last, INEC issues certificate of return to Okorocha

Chidi Samuel|

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday issued a certificate of return to Rochas Okorocha, former Imo state governor and senator-elect of Imo west.

INEC, in a statement said it issued Okorocha the certificate in compliance with the directive of a federal high court in Abuja.

It will be recalled while the federal high court in Abuja last week directed INEC to issue the former Imo state governor his certificate of return, two other courts in Imo state, however, ordered the electoral umpire not to recognise him as the senator-elect.

But in the statement issued by Festus Okoye, INEC’s director of voter education and publicity, the electoral body noted that the two court orders asking it not to issue any certificate of return to Okorocha were interim orders and not the final from the courts.

It, however, said while it is committed to obeying court orders, “the commission must put on record its very profound concerns about the likely consequences of this judgement for our electoral process in particular and democracy in general. Obviously, persons who seek elective offices could perceive in this judgement an irrelevance of due process and acting within the law.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Okorocha was denied accreditation when he arrived the National Assembly Complex for inauguration of the ninth assembly.