Abia: INEC South East commissioner explains why he issued certificate of return to Uche Ogah

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has explained why it issued a certificate of return to Uche Ogah, despite an appeal filed by the state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, after the Monday June 27th order by the Federal High Court, Abuja, removing him from office and mandating INEC to immediately issue a certificate of return to his rival at the PDP state governorship primaries in 2014, Uche Ogah.

Speaking to newsmen after the presentation of the certificate of return to Ogah, the INEC National Commissioner for South East, Lawrence Nwuruku,said he was just obeying the court order...

According to him, he had to obey the court order so that he will not be sent to jail for disobeying the ruling of a court.

"We are simply obeying the court order. The court said with immediate effect, without wasting of any time, that INEC should issue that certificate. We just obeyed the court order. If tomorrow another court overrules, I am by God's grace the INEC National commissioner representing South East, I will do the same thing. We are not above the court. The court says we should give certificate of return to the person won and that is Dr Uchechukwu Ogah. That is why we have given him. I was the one who gave the certificate initially to Ikpeazu because he was declared winner. Now the court says otherwise and we cannot do otherwise. We are not above the law. Another person we obey is God. My conscience is clear and my conscience is my God. If you were in the court, the judgement was wonderful and direct. The court says we must issue the certificate of return. It says if we don't do that, they can arrest us and jail us. I am not prepared to go to jail for anybody"he said