The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has, on Monday, restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for the Local Government Elections scheduled to take place in the state on October 5.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, the court also prohibited the Inspector General of Police and the Department of State Service from providing security for the upcoming elections.
The orders stemmed from a suit filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC). Justice Lifu ruled that RSIEC had erred by setting a date for the polls in the 23 local government areas without adhering strictly to the relevant laws governing such elections.
The judge criticized the electoral body in the state for failing to publish the mandatory 90 days’ notice before scheduling the election. Furthermore, the court held that the update and revision of the voters’ register, which is to be used for the election, should have been completed before any valid election date could be established.
As a result, the court ordered INEC not to provide the certified voters’ register to RSIEC until compliance with the relevant laws is achieved. It also prohibited RSIEC from accepting any voters’ register from INEC or using it for the Local Government elections set for October 5.