Court Stops INEC From Ending Voter Registration On June 30

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

The presiding Judge, Honourable Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon on Monday granted an order of interim injunction following the hearing of an argument on motion ex parte by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

SERAP and 185 concerned Nigerians had early this month filed the lawsuit against INEC asking 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 Nigerians to exercise their rights.

In the suit, SERAP had asked the court for an order restraining INEC, its agents, privies, assigns, or any other person(s) claiming through it from discontinuing the continuous voters’ registration exercise from the 30th June 2022 or any other date pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

The suit is adjourned to June 29, 2022, for the hearing of the Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction.

The suit followed the decision by INEC to extend the deadline for the conduct of primaries by political parties by six days, from June 3 to June 9. But the commission failed to also extend the online pre-registration which ended May 30 2022 and the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) ending 30 June 2022.

SERAP is asking the court for “a declaration that the failure of INEC to extend the deadline for voter registration is a violation of eligible Nigerians’ rights to participate freely in their own government, equality and equal protection.”