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Group sues INEC over refusal to allow temporary cards

By Lemmy Ughegbe, Abuja
29 January 2015   |   8:18 pm
A group – Society for Advancement and Protection of Public Rights has prayed the Federal High Court, Abuja Division to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow anyone with a Temporary Voter’s Card to vote at the forthcoming general elections.     The group wants the court to rule that INEC cannot insist that…

A group – Society for Advancement and Protection of Public Rights has prayed the Federal High Court, Abuja Division to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow anyone with a Temporary Voter’s Card to vote at the forthcoming general elections. 

   The group wants the court to rule that INEC cannot insist that only voters with the Permanent Voting Cards (PVCs) will be allowed to vote.

 In SUIT NO: FHC/ABJ/CS/06/15 filed on behalf of the group by Mr. Eze Anumnu, they are seeking an order of court to compel INEC to allow anyone with a voters card either temporary or permanent to vote.

   To do otherwise, the group argued, would amount to dis-enfranchising   millions of Nigerians which the group argued would result into violence and breakdown of law.

   The group stated that there was no law that empowered INEC to insist on PVC as the only acceptable card for voting.

   On the contrary, the group said that by refusing to allow people with temporary voters cards to vote, INEC is violating sections 77(2) and 117(2) of the Constitution.

   Specifically, the group wants a declaration that by virtue of sections 77(2) and 117(2) of the Constitution, INEC has no power to deprive any Nigerian, who is eligible to vote ‎the chance to vote on the grounds of non-possession of a PVC.

   It also asked the court to declare that any provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 or any INEC Electoral Guidelines, which prescribes the use of a card reader machine for screening voters card, which has the effect of preventing a registered voter to vote, is beyond the powers of INEC and therefore unconstitutional.

   

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