Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) revealed it will appeal the decision by the Federal High Court, Abuja Division to allow 2 people to vote with the Temporary Voter’s Card (TVC).
INEC disclosed this in a statement, late Friday evening, acknowledging it has been served a copy of the judgment.
The plaintiffs asked the court to determine whether a person whose name appears in the electronic format in INEC’s central database can be said to be entitled to be accredited to vote with his/her TVC in the general election to be conducted by the defendant.
Appeal Decision: INEC noted that it will appeal the decision, however, did not explain why it would take such a decision, they 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 2 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.”
An Abuja division of the Federal High Court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow two voters to use Temporary Voters Cards for the upcoming governorship and state house of assembly elections.
The suit: Kofoworola Olusegun and Wilson Allwel (the plaintiffs) had approached the court challenging INEC’s directive that only eligible voters with PVCs will be allowed to vote.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu gave the order following a suit filed by the two aggrieved Nigerians seeking to use their TVCs in the absence of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
They asked the court to determine whether a person whose name appears in the electronic format in INEC’s central database can be said to be entitled to be accredited to vote with his/her TVC in the general election to be conducted by the defendant. They also sought the following reliefs:
- “A declaration that the plaintiff, having fulfilled all necessary legal requirements to register and having consequently been captured in its central database and manual, printed paper-based record or hard copy format of INEC’s maintained register of voters, the plaintiff is entitled to vote using their TVC in the 2023 General Elections.
- “An order compelling INEC to allow the plaintiff to vote using the TVC issued by INEC, the plaintiff having been duly captured in the national register of voter’s database.
- “Any other order, the court may deem fit for all other Nigerians who are like the plaintiffs and have not gotten their permanent voter’s card, as the court may deem.”
Court order: After listening to arguments from parties in the suit, the judge granted two prayers of the plaintiffs.
The court however refused to grant the third prayer which sought to allow every eligible voter with a TVC to vote because the suit was not filed in a representative capacity.
