SERAP sues INEC for failing to extend pre-voter registration

Socio-economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), at the weekend, sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the Federal High Court, Lagos over its seeming refusal to extend pre voter registration that ended on May 30, 2022.

It wants the court to declare “unconstitutional, illegal, and incompatible with international standards, the failure of the electoral body to extend the deadline for voter registration, to allow more eligible Nigerians to exercise their rights.”

In the originating summons, sighted, yesterday, the group prayed the court to determine whether the “failure of the defendant to extend the deadline for online pre-registration and Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) beyond May 30 and June 30, following the extension of ultimatum for completion of political party primaries is not a breach of Articles 1, 2 and 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Sections 9 and 10 of the Electoral Act 2022 and Section 14(1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”

In the suit numbered, FHC/L/CS/1034/2022, filed by its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Opeyemi Owolabi, at the weekend, SERAP is asking the court to determine whether the “failure of INEC to extend the deadline for voter registration is not a violation of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) Electoral Act and international standards.”

The body is asking the court for a declaration that the “failure of INEC to extend the deadline for voter registration is a violation of eligible Nigerians’ rights to participate freely in their own government, equality and equal protection.”