The brand-led ADC approached the court to set aside INEC’s decision

The leadership of the David Mark-led African Democratic Congress (ADC) has approached the Federal High Court, Abuja, to overturn the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Mark names and former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, as ADC (National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively from their official portals on April 1.

Mark urged Justice Emeka Nwite to grant a mandatory injunction setting aside INEC’s refusal to attend or monitor the ADC congress or convention, pending the hearing and determination of the instant suit.

He also sought a mandatory injunction ordering INEC to immediately restore and retain the names of all National Working Committee (NWC) ADCs in its records and portal, before the suit is filed, and pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

READ ALSO:;PDP Turaki meets ADC led by Mark in Abuja

The notice motion, dated and filed April 7, was filed by Mark’s new attorney, Sulaiman Usman (SAN).

The notification motion was a reaction to the March 12 Court of Appeal ruling on a lawsuit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe.

The motion, seeking three reliefs, was filed under Order 26, Rules 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019; jurisdiction inherent in the courts and under the jurisdiction of an equitable court to grant injunctive relief.

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Freedom of Information Act and The Limits of Press Freedom, By Mack Ogbamosa – THISAGE

        Introduction  A free, independent, and vibrant press is one of the strongest pillars of any democratic society. It is against this background that most democratic countries  make constitutional provisions for a free press . Others even go further to enact specific laws to make affairs of governments freely available to the public. Currently, there are more than  130 countries in the world that have free press laws. They include Sweden, United States, France, South Africa and Nigeria. Nigeria did not only make  constitutional provisions in Sections 22 and 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution ( as amended) but also went ahead to enact the Freedom of Information Act  in 2011. Section 22 of the 1999  Constitution states: “ “The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media  shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter( ie Chapter II) and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people”  Section 39(1)  of same Constitution states : “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference” ..  To complement these constitutional provisions, Section 1 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) states “Notwithstanding anything contained in any other Act, law or regulation, the right of any person to access or request information, whether or not contained in any written form, which is in the custody or possession of any public official, agency or institution howsoever described, is established.” while Section  2(2), states that: “A public institution shall ensure the proper organization and maintenance of all information in its custody in a manner that facilitates public access to such information”  Primary Purpose of FOIA  According to the Act, its primary purpose is to make information about public records freely available to every Nigerian in the public interest. …

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