An Ondo State-Based Legal Practitioner, Barr. Femi Emmanuel Emodamori has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before a Federal High Court sitting in Akure over the failure of the Commission to compel all the political parties in Nigeria to publish their 2022 audited accounts.
The lawyer instituted the Suit at the Federal High Court against INEC, praying the court for an Order of Mandamus to compel her to perform her statutory duties in that regard.
Emodamori approached the court after the expiration of the the 14- day ultimatum issued to the electoral body.
Following the failure of INEC to comply with the 14-day ultimatum I gave her on 24th August, 2023 to publish and avail me the certified true copies of the 2021 and 2022 Audited Annual Financial Statements as well as the Audited 2023 Election Expenses of all the political parties in Nigeria, in line with Section 225(1)-(2) and Paragraph 15(d) of Part 1 of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, Section 89 (3)-(8) of the Electoral Act, 2022, and Section 1(1) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, Emodamori instituted the Suit at the Federal High Court against INEC, praying for an Order of Mandamus to compel her to perform her statutory duties in that regard.
The lawyer filed the Suit through a team of his 7 Lawyers, led by Barr. A. Olu Ogidan.
He said, “We cannot sincerely talk about fighting corruption, until we first beam our searchlights on how political parties and elections are funded in Nigerian, and the reciprocal patronage, access to national treasury or ‘dividends’ granted or paid to such political ‘investors’, usually at the expense of our collective national interests.
“INEC can also not claim to be above board when it lacks the courage needed to investigate and publish the accounts of such parties for public information as expressly required under our laws.”
Emodamori is seeking “an order granting leave to the Applicant to apply for Judicial Review by way of Mandamus, to compel the Respondent (INEC) to Publish the 2021 and 2022 Audited Financial Statements of all the registered political parties in the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well separate Audited 2023 election related
incomes and expenses of all the parties, in line with Section 225(1)-(2) and Paragraph 15(d) of Part 1 of the Third Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and Section 89(3), (4), (5) and (8) of the Electoral Act, 2022; and
“Make available to the Applicant (Emodamori) in either hard or soft copies, not later than 14 days from the judgment of this Honourable Court, the certified true copies of the 2021 and 2022 Audited Financial Statements of all the registered political parties in the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well the separate Audited 2023 election related incomes and expenses of all the parties, in line with Section 225(1)-(2) and Paragraph 15(d) of Part 1 of the Third Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), Section 89 (3), (4), (5) and (8) of the Electoral Act, 2022, and Section 1(1) and (3) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
“AND FOR SUCH FURTHER ORDER(S) as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances,” the applicant prayed.
