An Abuja Federal High Court has restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the 2023 voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for the upcoming local government elections slated for October 5, 2024.
This ruling, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu on Monday, was in response to a suit filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The court found that RSIEC acted unlawfully in fixing the date for the elections without adhering to mandatory legal requirements.
Specifically, RSIEC failed to issue the mandatory 90-day public notice required for the conduct of local government elections.
Justice Lifu further emphasized that the Rivers State Electoral Commission had not complied with relevant electoral laws, particularly the update and revision of the voters’ register.
As a result, the court ordered that INEC must not release the voters’ register to RSIEC until all legal conditions have been met.
The court also barred RSIEC from accepting or using the INEC voter register for the election, effectively putting the October 5 poll into uncertainty.
Additionally, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Department of State Services (DSS) were prohibited from providing security for the election under the current circumstances.
This ruling follows a separate order from a Rivers State High Court, where Justice I. Igwe had earlier directed RSIEC to conduct the forthcoming local government elections using the 2023 voters’ register.
That order came in response to a case filed by the Action People’s Party (APP) against the Rivers State Government, RSIEC, and the Governor of Rivers State.
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