For the second time in twenty four hours, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr Olisa Agbakoba SAN has reasons again to condemn the actions of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as he condemned the letter of postponement of election in Zamfara State written by the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami SAN to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
Mr Malami had written a letter to the Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, asking for the postponement of Senatorial, Governorship, and House of Representatives elections in the state because the Court of Appeal’s nullification of All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates.
Reacting to Malami’s letter, Agbakoba said:
“I am shocked by your letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the above subject. You are the Attorney General of the Federation and not the Attorney General of INEC. INEC is an independent institution and cannot take directives from the Federal Government. If there is need for the postponement of the Zamfara state elections as indicated in your letter, the proper person to request the postponement is the All Progressive Congress (APC). In any case, Sections 38 and 39 of the Electoral Act 2010 which your request is based on have nothing to do with postponement of elections.
President Mohammadu Buhari has at various fora undertaken that the Federal Government will not interfere with INEC. Your letter puts that commitment to question.
It is my hope that this letter will be immediately withdrawn”.
