The Court of Appeal Abuja has invalidated the judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission for the conduct of the state local government polls which has now been led.
Conveying judgement, the special panel led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, held that the lower court lacked the mark on ward to engage the matter as Section 28 of the Electoral Act does not cover elections conducted by states, only federal elections, governorship and area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory.
The re-appraising court likewise held that the lower court was inappropriate to have requested security agencies not to do their constitutional duties.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court had conveyed judgement in a suit, reprimanding RSIEC for setting October 5 as the election date without complying to the relevant laws overseeing the conduct of the election.
He decided that the Rivers State electoral body abused the provisions of the local government election law by failing to publish the mandatory 90-day notice prior to fixing the political race date.
The adjudicator further held that the updating and revision of the voters’ register ought to have been finished before a legally substantial election date could be set.
He thus requested, ordered INEC not to release the Certified Voters’ Register to RSIEC until all legal prerequisites had been met.
This appeal is among different appeals filed by bothered parties against certain judgements of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
A special court of appeal panel, set up to mediate on the political cases in River State, led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, had reserved judgement in the merged requests contesting the judgement of Justice Peter Lifu.
