The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced its intention to appeal a recent court order that instructed it to permit two Nigerian citizens to vote in the upcoming general election using their temporary voter cards (TVC).
Kofoworola Olusegun and Wilson Allwell had filed a lawsuit challenging INEC's position that only a permanent voter card (PVC) could be used to vote.
However, in his ruling on Thursday, Obiora Egwuatu, the presiding judge of the federal high court in Abuja, declared that the use of TVCs was allowed under section 47 of the statute, which permits the use of a voter's card. He added that there was no provision in the 1999 constitution or the electoral act that required only PVCs to be used for voting.
As such, the judge ordered INEC to allow the plaintiffs to vote using their TVCs.
Reacting to the judgment, the chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, stated that the commission would appeal the decision. In a statement issued on Thursday, Oyekanmi said, "The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been served a copy of the judgement delivered today by the Federal High Court, Abuja Division which ordered it to allow two Plaintiffs to vote with their Temporary Voter's Card (TVC).
"The Commission is taking immediate steps to appeal against the judgement of the trial court."
©Standard Gazette, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s publisher is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Standard Gazette with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.