Court Gives Ruling on End of PVC Registration

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from ending the voter registration on June 30 2022.

Prior to the ruling, SERAP and 185 concerned Nigerians filed a lawsuit – FHC/L/CS/1034/2022 at the Federal High Court, Lagos which was later transferred to Abuja against INEC.

Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon granted an order of interim injunction following the hearing of an argument on a motion exparte by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

The group urged the court to “declare unconstitutional, illegal, and incompatible with international standards the failure of the electoral body to extend the deadline for voter registration to allow eligible.”

In line with information in the file, SERAP is asking the court to determine “whether the failure of INEC to extend the deadline for voter registration is not a violation of Nigerian Constitution, 1999 [as amended], the Electoral Act, and international standards”.

The commission asked the court for “an order of mandamus to direct and compel INEC to extend voter registration by a minimum of three months and take effective measures to ensure that eligible Nigerians can register to exercise their right to vote in the 2023 general elections”.