A Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), from releasing the National Voter Register to the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) for the purpose of conducting the September 21 local government elections in Kwara State.
The court also stopped KWSIEC and the State Attorney General (AG) from receiving, accepting or using the national voter register or any part relating to Kwara State from the electoral body for the Council’s election in Kwara state.
Justice Peter Lifu issued the restraining order on Monday in Abuja while delivering a ruling in an ex-parte application brought before him by the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. The ex-parte application was filed by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Kehinde Ogunwumiju. In the ruling, Justice Lifu restrained the Inspector General of Police, IGP, and the State Security Service (SSS) from participating in or providing security protection for the conduct of local government elections in Kwara pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed by PDP for interlocutory injunction.
The grouse of PDP tabled before Justice Lifu is that the Kwara State Electoral body is in grievous contravention, breach and violation of Sections 9, 28, 29 and 106 of the Electoral Act 2022, Sections 20 (1) and 21 (1) of Kwara State Local Government Electoral (Amendment) Law, 2024.
PDP claimed that all the conditions and precedents contained in Local Government Electoral Laws in Kwara State have been deliberately jettisoned and violated under unacceptable circumstances. Among others, PDP claimed to be a duly registered political party in Nigeria, eligible to participate and field candidates to contest elections in Nigeria including the Kwara State Local Government Elections 2024 sought to be conducted by the defendants.
It alleged that 2nd defendant (KWSIEC) has applied to the 1st defendant (INEC) for the Register of Voter for Kwara State for use in the conduct of the Kwara State Local Government Council election, which the party said, is in breach and violation of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022 and Kwara State Local Government Electoral (Amendment) Law, 2024.
