Nigeria: INEC to Appeal Ruling On Voting With Temporary Voter Cards - Official

10 March 2023
Premium Times (Abuja)
By Qosim Suleiman

A court had on Thursday, ordered INEC to allow some two Nigerians to vote with their Temporary Voter Cards (TVC).

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to appeal the ruling of a court ordering it to allow two plaintiffs vote with their Temporary Voter Cards (TVC).

Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary, to the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said in a short statement late Thursday, that the commission has been served with the copy of the judgement.

He added, however, that the commission is set to appeal the judgement.

"The Commission is taking immediate steps to appeal against the judgement of the trial court," he said.

Since 2019, INEC has consistently said only registered voters who presented their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) at their respective polling units would be allowed to vote during elections.

But on Thursday, the Federal High Court, Abuja, while delivering judgement in a suit brought by two Nigerians, ordered INEC to allow both applicants vote in the 2023 general elections.

The judge, Obiora Egwuatu, noted that the two Nigerians who filed the suit must be allowed to vote, having registered with the commission, have their details on the INEC voters register, and were issued with Temporary Voter Cards by the commission.

The court held that there was no portion of the law, both the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act that states that it is only PVCs that could be used, but that the law under Section 47 provided for a voter's card.

The judge, however, said he was unable to grant prayer three which was to allow every eligible voter with a TVC to vote because the suit was not filed in a representative capacity.

"This suit having not been brought in a representative capacity, I find myself unable to grant any relief pursuant to prayer three of the plaintiffs' application," Mr Egwuatu stated.

Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe

Read the original article on Premium Times.

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