Ahead of the local government elections scheduled for October 5, 2024, in Rivers State, an Abuja-based court has prohibited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the 2023 voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
This decision follows a directive from a high court in Port Harcourt, which mandated RSIEC to use the 2023 voters’ register for the upcoming elections. Justice I. Igwe issued this order on September 4, 2024, in response to a lawsuit filed by the Action People’s Party (APP) against the State Electoral Commission, the Rivers State Government, and the state governor.
On Monday, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled against INEC’s release of the voters’ register for the local government elections. The ruling also prevents the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Department of State Services (DSS) from providing security for the elections.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu stated that RSIEC acted unlawfully by scheduling the elections for October 5 without adhering to the relevant laws governing the electoral process. He noted that the RSIEC’s failure to publish the required 90-day notice prior to setting the election date violated local government election conduct laws.
Furthermore, Justice Lifu emphasized that the update and revision of the voters’ register must be completed before a valid election date can be established. Consequently, he ordered INEC not to provide the certified voters’ register to RSIEC until all legal requirements have been met, and he also prohibited RSIEC from accepting or using any voter register from INEC for the October 5 elections.
