Court stops INEC from releasing voter register to Rivers electoral body

A federal high court in Abuja has restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the national voter register for Rivers to the state electoral body.

Peter Lifu, the presiding judge, gave the order on Friday after a motion ex parte filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The INEC, Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), attorney-general of the federation (AGF), inspector-general of police (IGP), and Department of State Service (DSS) are 1st to 5th defendants, respectively.

In the application, the APC asked the court to restrain INEC from releasing the national voter register to RSIEC for the conduct of the Rivers LGA election.

The APC said releasing the register to RSIEC will contravene “Items 11 and 12 on the concurrent legislative list in Part II of the Second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, sections 28, 29, and 103(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022”.

The party also asked the court to restrain the IGP and DSS from providing security cover or participating in the Rivers LGA elections that would be conducted by RSIEC.

“AN ORDER directing the 1st to 5th Defendants to maintain the status quo ante bellum and not to do any act or take any further steps in furtherance of the conduct of the Local Government Elections in Rivers State that are, by virtue of Sections 13 and 20 of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission Law of No. 2 of 2018, in contravention, breach or violation of items 11 and 12 on the Concurrent Legislative List, Part II of the Second Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended and Section 28, 29 and 103(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, pending the hearing and determination of the Plaintiffs’ Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction,” part of the application reads.

The judge granted the prayers of the APC and restrained INEC from releasing the voter register pending the determination of the suit on August 2.

In the same vein, the judge also ordered that the defendants in the suit be served with court orders and processes via substituted means.

He directed that the service of the court process should be published in two national dailies.

In June, RSIEC fixed October 5 for the LGA election in Rivers.