in Anambra State hinderedImpact of INEC Denial of Access to Election Materials on Peter Obi’s People’s Democratic Party Campaign in Anambra State

The Labour Party (LP) campaign has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refused to comply with the court order granting Peter Obi, the party’s standard bearer, access to election materials. On the 3rd of March 2023, the presidential election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja granted Obi leave to receive certified true copies of materials used in the presidential election held on 25th February 2023. INEC, however, asked the court to vary the order, citing the need to reprogram the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) for the upcoming governorship and state assembly polls.

Yunusa Tanko, spokesperson of the LP campaign, released a statement on Friday describing INEC’s move as “an act of judicial insubordination”. He noted that despite being served with the court order on the 3rd of March and a reminder letter on the 6th of March, INEC has failed to comply. Tanko further stated that in a democracy, rule of law must be upheld and parties to a litigation must accept and obey every court order in good faith. He added that INEC’s refusal to comply with the order is an act of judicial insubordination and a willful disregard for the rule of law, which could undermine democracy and constitutionalism.