Court orders INEC to resume Continuous Voter Registration

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately resume the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) until 90 days before the 2023 general elections.

In the judgement delivered on Tuesday by Justice Inyang Ekwo, the court also directed INEC to ensure that no eligible Nigerian is deprived of the opportunity to have the voter’s card for the forthcoming poll.

Justice Ekwo noted that it was the constitutional responsibility of the electoral body to make adequate provisions for the exercise following the laws of the country.

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The suit, which was filed by a concerned citizen, Anajat Salmat and three others, had sued INEC demanding the resumption of the CVR after the electoral umpire had announced it was ending the registration.

The plaintiffs, in the suit’s originating summons filed before the court, had argued that INEC could not stop the CVR contrary to the stipulated provisions of the Nigerian constitution.

They also urged the court to order INEC to resume the exercise in accordance with the laws of the country. In giving his ruling, Justice Ekwo declared the case of the plaintiffs was successful based on its merit.