INEC faults judgment permitting Temporary Voter Card for polls

Written by on March 10, 2023

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC on Thursday night said it would appeal the court judgment, which ordered that two Nigerians with Temporary Voters Cards should be allowed to vote during the March 18, 2023 governorship and Houses of Assembly elections.

The spokesperson for INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, made this known to newsmen on yesterday.

Newsmen reports that the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Thursday ordered INEC to allow the use of Temporary Voter Cards in the governorship and Houses of Assembly elections rescheduled to March 18.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu made the order while delivering judgment on a suit filed by two aggrieved Nigerians, Kofoworola Olusegun and Wilson Allwell, who prayed that they should be allowed to vote with their TVCs, as INEC failed to issue them with their Permanent Voter Cards before it closed the process.

Justice Egwuatu said the order was made on the grounds that the plaintiffs were duly registered and captured in INEC database.

The court held that there was no portion of both the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act that states that it is only Permanent Voter Cards that could be used to vote.

The judge however, said he was unable to grant the third prayer by the plaintiffs, which was to allow the order to extend to every eligible voter, who was unable to change their TVC to PVC.

Speaking to newsmen, counsel for the plaintiffs, Mr Victor Opatola, said the judgment was a win for all Nigerians who suffered to get registered to vote, were duly registered but, due to no fault of theirs, could not get their PVCs before the election.

He maintained that this should be so because the content of the TVC was the same as the content of the PVC and the only difference was the plastic used for the PVC.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the judgment, having been delivered, is bidding on INEC and is enforceable barring any appeal.

 


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