The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has said the commission has 600 pending court cases over prary primaries.
Prof Yakubu said at the capacity building workshop for justices and judges on election matters, in Abuja on Monday.
He said INEC has far been joined in about 600 cases relating to the conduct of recent primaries and nomination of candidates by political parties for the 2023 General Election.
Yakubu said that INEC had studied the various judgments of the tribunals arising from both the 2019 general election, the off-cycle governorship elections and the by-elections conducted so far.
“We identified areas where we need to do more to reduce litigation. As a result, we are witnessing increasingly less court cases challenging the conduct of elections by the Commission.
“However, cases arising from the conduct of primaries for the nomination of candidates by political parties is on the increase.
“Only two weeks ago, one political party served about 70 court processes on the commission in one day seeking to compel us to accept the nomination or substitution of its candidates long after the deadline provided in the timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election had elapsed.
“Some of the cases will go up to the Supreme Court.
“The implication is that we are still dealing with issues of nomination of candidates thereby eating into vital time for preparation of and procurement of sensitive materials for the materials.
“It also means that the Courts will be dealing with the same issues long after the General Election.”
The INEC chairman said prior to the 2019 general election, a similar workshop was held in which the Commission interacted with the judiciary on the adjudication of post-election disputes.
“The workshop in no small measure led to a better appreciation of the electoral processes, reduction in the spate of conflicting judgements as well as consequential reduction in the number of elections nullified and/or overturned after the election.
“I am glad that the judiciary and the Commission are once again collaborating on the eve of the forthcoming general election,” he said.