Atiku submits to INEC verification...dismisses PDP petition as mischievous
From KABIRU YUSUF, Abuja

Following INEC’s claim that it had not received Monday’s Court injunction against on-going verification of candidates, and being fully aware of a plot to use the exercise as ploy to stop his presidential ambition, Vice President Atiku Abubakar who is the presidential candidate of the Action Congress (AC) yesterday submitted himself before INEC officials in Abuja to scrutinize his documents.
Atiku, who arrived at the INEC headquarters at about 11am and was cheered by a huge crowd of INEC staff and visitors, was received by INEC chairman Maurice Iwu and his commissioners. In an atmosphere of conviviality and friendliness, Atiku exchanged banters with the officials as they scrutinized the original copies of credentials tendered by him.
The Verification Committee then showed him a copy of a petition written by the PDP and signed by the party’s chairman Ahmadu Ali and National Secretary Ojo Maduekwe. In the petition dated January 18, 2007, the PDP had tried to pressure INEC to disqualify the Vice President on the basis of his purported indictment by the Administrative Panel on PTDF, the EFCC report on PTDF and the Federal Government Gazette of the so-called indictment.
Atiku immediately gave his response to the PDP petition written by his lawyer, Mr. Ricky Tarfa (SAN) dated January 23, 2007 and a supporting letter by the National Secretary of the Action Congress Bashir Dalhatu dated the same day.
Both Tarfa and Dalhatu had argued in their letters that the three documents tendered by the PDP have been set aside in a judgment by Justice Inumidun Akande of the Lagos High Court on November 28, 2006.
Describing PDP’s petition as “part of their orchestrated plan borne out of vendetta to see that at all cost our candidate is prevented from presenting himself as a candidate to the electorate in the April 2007 Presidential Election,’’ they further argued that “the three documents no longer exist in law and in fact.”
A cerified true copy of the ruling was attached to the response and submitted to the Verification Committee. A copy of the ruling had earlier on been submitted to INEC by Tarfa on December 13th, 2006.
Atiku called the three documents PDP sought to use against him as “of no probative value.”
“Even assuming, without conceding that the said three documents are still in existence, the fact that our client instituted suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/368/2006 challenging all the reports is enough to preclude your commission or any other body from looking at the documents/reports until the suit is determined in court as provided for by Section 137 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999,” Atiku further said in his response to the PDP petition.
‘’The Vice President said his challenge of the decisions of the Administrative Panel of Inquiry in the suit pending before Justice Abimbola Ogie is enough for INEC to “return the documents to PDP as the said sections would not apply as long as the suit is pending in court.”
He also reiterated the fact that neither the Constitution nor the Electoral law vested INEC with the power to disqualify any candidate seeking elective office.
The provisions of the Electoral Act 2006 are very clear and unambiguous that it is only the court of law who can disqualify candidates seeking elective offices. The question of screening candidates is also entirely within the purview of the political parties sponsoring such candidates,” Atiku argued.
He asked INEC to ensure that the provisions of the constitution and the Electoral Act 2006 are strictly adhered to for sustenance of Nigeria’s democracy.