Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal High Court in Abuja has stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from ending voter registration on June 30, 2022.
Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon (Court 10) on Monday granted an order of interim injunction following the hearing of an argument on motion ex parte by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
Business Post had reported that SERAP and 185 concerned Nigerians earlier this month filed a lawsuit against INEC asking the court to “declare unconstitutional, illegal, and incompatible with international standards the failure of the electoral body to extend the deadline for voter registration to allow eligible Nigerians to exercise their rights.”
In the suit, SERAP had asked the court for “an order restraining INEC, its agents, privies, assigns, or any other person(s) claiming through it from discontinuing the continuous voters’ registration exercise from the 30th June 2022 or any other date pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”
At the court today, Justice Olajuwon after granting the interim injunction, adjourned to June 29, 2022, for the hearing of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
SERAP and others went to court after INEC extended the deadline for the conduct of primaries by political parties by six days, from June 3 to June 9 but failed to also extend the online pre-registration which ended May 30, 2022, and the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) ending 30 June 2022.
In the suit number FHC/L/CS/1034/2022 filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos, and transferred to Abuja, SERAP wants the court to determine “whether the failure of INEC to extend the deadline for voter registration is not a violation of the Nigerian Constitution, 1999 [as amended], the Electoral Act, and international standards.”
SERAP is asking the court for “a declaration that the failure of INEC to extend the deadline for voter registration is a violation of eligible Nigerians’ rights to participate freely in their own government, equality and equal protection.”
