Five months after the suspension of the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR), a Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to resume the registration.
Delivering the judgment on Tuesday, Justice Inyang Ekwo said the voters’ registration ought to last until 90 days before the 2023 general election.
The judge also directed INEC to ensure that eligible Nigerians were not deprived the opportunity to have their voter’s card for the forthcoming poll.
Justice Ekwo held that it was the constitutional responsibility of the electoral umpire to make adequate provision for the exercise in accordance with the Nigerian laws.
The ruling was in favour of one Anajat Salmat and three others who, in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1343/2022, had sued INEC for ending the voters’ registration in July.
Salmat and others argued that the electoral commission’s decision to end the exercise was contrary to the stipulated provisions of the constitution.
They urged the court to order INEC to resume the exercise in accordance with the law of the country.
INEC has yet to react to the court ruling at the time of filing this report.
