A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday (yesterday, July 29), restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the national voters’ register to the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) for the conduct of the State’s local government elections this September.
Justice Peter Lifu, in a ruling on an ex-parte motion brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), also stopped the Kwara State Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) and the state’s Attorney General (AG) from using the voter register for the Sept. 21 polls.
The PDP, through its Lawyer, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, had sued INEC, KWSIEC, Kwara AG, Inspector-General (I-G) of Police and State Security Service (SSS) as 1st to 5th defendants respectively, seeking the court’s order restraining the above entities or their agents from preparing for the upcoming local government elections in Kwara State with INEC’s national voters’ register as the state’s own voters’ list.
Justice Lifu, in the ruling, equally restrained the I-G and SSS from participating in or providing security protection for the conduct of local government elections in Kwara pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed by PDP.
The PDP had, in the affidavit, alleged that the KWSIEC was in grievous contravention, breach and violation of Sections 9, 28, 29 and 106 of the Electoral Act 2022, Sections 20 (1) and 21 (1) of Kwara State Local Government Electoral (Amendment) Law, 2024, claiming that all the conditions and precedents contained in Local Government Electoral Laws in Kwara had been deliberately jettisoned and violated under unacceptable circumstances.
Among others, PDP claimed to be a duly registered political party in Nigeria, eligible to participate and field candidates to contest elections in Nigeria, including the 2024 local government elections in Kwara sought to be conducted by the defendants, averring that the application by KWSIEC to INEC for the voters’ register for Kwara for use in the conduct of the poll, was in breach and violation of the provisions of the constitution, the Electoral Act, 2022 and Kwara State Local Government Electoral (Amendment) Law, 2024.
It said despite the gross violations of the electoral laws, the INEC had shown the desire to release the register to the KWSIEC in violation of the Electoral Act, 2022.
After the lawyer moved the motion, Justice Lifu ordered all the parties in the suit to maintain status quo ante bellum pending the hearing and determination of the plaintiff’s motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
The judge, however, ordered PDP to enter into a fresh undertaking to indemnify the five defendants at a cost that would be assessed by the court in case its application turns out to be frivolous and ought not to have been granted by the court.
He adjourned the matter until Aug. 12 for a hearing.
