ENSIEC Chairman, Boniface Eneh Risk Jail for Disobeying Court Order

Posted by African Examiner Uncategorized Friday, November 8th, 2013

Ignatius Okpara, Enugu

Chairman of the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), Dr. Boniface Eneh, may be on his way to jail for flagrantly disobeying the order of an Enugu high court stopping him from conducting the just concluded November 2nd council election in the state.

Justice Anthony O. Onovo had given an order stopping the council election on 31st October in two local government areas, following an application brought by All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in the state seeking an order for judicial review in line with order of mandamus injunction fruited on while ENSIEC should not conducted the said election.

But ENSIEC, on November 2nd, 2013, went ahead with the polls without recourse to the order of the court even when such order was served on the commission before the election date.

When the matter came up Thursday, the councel from the state electoral commission denied that the commission had no knowledge of the order of the court stopping the election.

Counsel to the applicants, Mr Alex Amujiogu told the court that the commission was duly served the court order which according to him, prove of service recorded in the court indicate that the commission was served on 1st of November a day before the purported election.

However, the applicants counsel, had also filled a fresh motion seeking for nullification of the said election and made an oral application for contempt of court against the ENSIEC boss.

But court, advised him to make written application on the issues of contempt against the chairman of the commission and adjourned to 29th of November for adoption of submissions.

African Examiner gathered that two APGA chairmanship candidates in Isi-Uzo and Ezeagu council areas had approached the court, to stop the election following their disqualification by the ENSIEC on the grounds that their running mates were not qualified to run for the election.