Court stops INEC from releasing voters’ register for Rivers LG elections, bars security involvement

A Federal High Court in Abuja has halted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for the scheduled October 5, 2024, local government elections.

In a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, the court also restrained the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Department of State Services (DSS) from providing security during the elections.

The decision came after the All Progressives Congress (APC) filed a suit challenging the legality of the election date set by RSIEC. The court ruled that RSIEC violated key provisions of the law, including failing to publish the mandatory 90 days’ notice before the election date and not concluding the update of the voters’ register as required.

Justice Lifu further ordered that INEC must not release the certified voters’ register to RSIEC until all legal requirements are met. Additionally, RSIEC was barred from accepting or using any voter register from INEC for the upcoming local government polls.

The APC’s lawsuit argued that the actions taken by RSIEC and INEC violated multiple sections of the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act of 2022.