The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will obey the Supreme Court judgment that directed it to issue Certificate of Return to Mr. Shuaibu Lau as Senator representing Taraba North.
INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mr Oluwole Osase-Uzzi, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
The Supreme Court had on Friday June 23, sacked Sen. Sani Danladi representing Taraba North Senatorial District.
Osase-Uzzi said that the commission would also comply with a similar judgment of the court that Certificate of Return be issued to Mrs Dorathy Mato to represent Vandeikya/Konshisha Federal Constituency of Benue State in the House of Representatives.
The INEC director, who said that the commission was yet to be served copies of the separate court judgments, added that INEC would obey as soon as it was served.
“Complying with the judgments is not a problem. We have been doing that and these would not be an exception.
“We will comply with the orders as soon as we receive copies of the judgments.
“I am not sure INEC has been served the judgment, but as atWednesday, we were yet to receive it,’’ Osase-Uzzi said.
The apex court equally removed Rep. Herman Hembe, representing Vandeikya/Konshisha Federal Constituency of Benue State in the House of Representatives.
Aside directing the sacked lawmakers to vacate their seats forthwith, the Supreme Court ordered INEC to immediately withdraw the Certificates of Return it issued to them.
It held that the former lawmakers should within 90 days, refund all the salaries/allowances and or emoluments they collected while occupying their respective seats.
While the apex court ordered that Danladi be replaced by Lau, it also directed INEC to issue Certificate of Return to Mato as Hembe’s replacement.
The orders were contained in two separate lead judgments delivered by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen and Justice Amina Augie.
