A Federal High Court in Abuja has prohibited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from handing over the National Voter Register to the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) for the upcoming local government elections scheduled for September 21 in Kwara State.
On Monday, Justice Peter Lifu issued this injunction while adjudicating an ex-parte application filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The PDP has also sought a court order to prevent the State Security Service (SSS) from participating in or providing security for the local government elections in Kwara until the court resolves the PDP’s motion for an interlocutory injunction.
The PDP’s complaint before Justice Lifu is that KWSIEC has severely violated Sections 9, 28, 29, and 106 of the Electoral Act 2022, as well as Sections 20 (1) and 21 (1) of the Kwara State Local Government Electoral (Amendment) Law, 2024.
The PDP argues that the Kwara State Local Government Electoral Laws have been flagrantly ignored and breached in unacceptable ways.
The party also claims to be a registered political entity in Nigeria with the right to participate in and field candidates for elections, including the 2024 Kwara State Local Government Elections organized by the defendants.
The PDP alleges that KWSIEC (the 2nd defendant) has requested the voter register from INEC (the 1st defendant) for use in the local government elections, which the party contends is a violation of the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and the Kwara State Local Government Electoral (Amendment) Law, 2024.
Despite these alleged violations, PDP asserts that INEC is still inclined to release the register to KWSIEC, breaching the Electoral Act 2022.
The PDP further claims that its ex-parte application aims to uphold justice by preserving the current situation until the motion for an interlocutory injunction is heard and decided, asserting that granting the application would serve justice.
Justice Lifu, after reviewing the evidence presented by the PDP, instructed all defendants in the case to maintain the status quo until the Plaintiff’s motion for an interlocutory injunction is adjudicated.
The defendants listed in the case are INEC, KWSIEC, the Kwara Attorney General, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the SSS.
The Judge has directed these defendants to refrain from any actions that would violate Sections 9, 28, and 29 of the Electoral Act 2022 and Sections 20 (1) and 21 (1) of the Kwara State Local Government Electoral (Amendment) Law, 2024, pending the resolution of the PDP’s motion for an interlocutory injunction.
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