Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja, has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to continue with the Continuous Voters’ Registration (CVR) exercise until 90 days before commencement of the next year’s general elections.
In a judgment, the court ordered INEC to ensure that eligible Nigerians are not deprived the opportunity to have the voter’s card for the forthcoming polls.
Justice Ekwo held that it was the constitutional responsibility of the electoral umpire to make adequate provisions for the voter registration exercise in accordance with Nigerian laws.
“The case of the plaintiffs succeeds on merit,” the judge held.
The judgment was on a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1343/2022 filed by Anajat Salmat and three others, with INEC as the sole defendant.
The plaintiffs, in the suit, argued that INEC lacked the powers to stop the continuous voter registration against the extant provisions of the constitution.
The plaintiffs urged the court to order the electoral umpire to resume the exercise in accordance with the provisions of the law.
INEC had in July suspended the CVR after a one-month extension following the Federal High Court’s dismissal of a suit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) which sought an extension of the exercise beyond June 30, 2022.