Rivers council polls: INEC denies releasing voters’ registers to state electoral body

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers said on Friday that it did not release voters’ registers to the State Independent Electoral Commission to conduct council polls.

The state electoral commission had said it would use the voters’ registers from INEC for the May 23 council polls.

In a statement in Port Harcourt, the INEC’s Administrative Secretary in Rivers, Mr Roy Obijuru, denied releasing the registers to the state electoral body for the election.

“INEC wishes to state categorically that at no time did we release voters’ registers to RSIEC as claimed in the news item being aired by some media houses.

“To put the record straight, INEC Rivers received a letter on the April 28 on the pending suit between Peoples Democratic Party verses INEC and four others from Mr Chima Aguma, counsel to PDP,” Obijuru said.

According to him, the suit was heard on April 29 by Justice Lambo Akanbi of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt.

Obijuru said Mr Belu-Olisah Nwofor, counsel to APC, had informed the court that it had challenged the jurisdiction of the court over the matter.

“The court after hearing all the parties adjourned the case sine die and admonished the parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the appeal and the substantive suit.

“The above position of the court formed the basis of INEC’s refusal in releasing the registers to the commission,” he said.