Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday, granted an order of interim injunction restraining the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDOSIEC) from going ahead with planned council elections slated for April 19, 2022.

The order followed an exparte application filed by Irene Sylvester, Ayoboh Francis, Edogun Toyin and Ogioba Kelvin, praying the court to restrain the state electoral body from conducting elections into councils in Edo State.

Joined as respondents in the exparte motion are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Clerk of the Edo State House of Assembly, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its National Chairman, Prof. Iyiorcha Ayu.

In the motion exparte filed on March 31, the applicants, who are PDP members in Edo State, want the court to restrain, “INEC, its agents, servants, officers, privies, howsoever described, from handing over the voters register covering all the councils in Edo State for the conduct of elections under the Edo State Local Government Electoral Law and the State Independent Electoral Commission Establishment (Re-enactment Law 2017 (as amended in 2022) to the 3rd defendant (Edo State Independent Electoral Commission)”, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice they filed before the court.

The judge, in his ruling, agreed with the counsel for the applicants, Dr. Joshua Musa (SAN), that the essence of the exparte motion was to protect the subject-matter in the motion on notice and added that the applicants do not want to suffer irrevocable damages, for which no compensation will be enough to assuage them.

Justice Taiwo adjourned the suit till April 14, 2022 for hearing of motion for interlocutory injunction.