Why Plateau Government Dragged INEC To Court

The Plateau State Government has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega

Daily Independent reports that the development was in a reaction to fears that the electoral commission may disenfranchise some eligible voters during the 2015 general elections.

It was gathered that those joined as plaintiff in the suit are traditional rulers of the 17 local government areas, 17 local government council chairmen as well as the speaker of the State House of Assembly.

In the motion filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, by counsel to the plaintiff, S. G. Odey & Associates, the Plateau Government is asking the court to stop the electoral body from invoking the principle of “no permanent voter card, no voting” arguing that INEC lacks the powers to do so.

The petitioner argued that such decision will be tantamount to disenfranchising some legible voters, asking the court to declare that INEC “has no power under the laid down rules, regulations, guidelines or time table to deprive or the effect of depriving any person from exercising the right to vote and be voted for.”

In another prayer, the court is to put it to the respondent that it “cannot set down any rules, regulations, guidelines or timetable restricting or limiting continuous registration of voters to any given period not later than 60 days before the forthcoming general elections.”

The petitioner also wants the issue of permanent voter card to be immaterial during voting so far as the voter is duly registered a prayer that was backed by a 38-point affidavit sworn to by Dr Emmanuel Loman on behalf of the plaintiffs on December 23, 2014.

The petitioner further prayed the court to deploy “an order of mandatory injunction directing INEC to use the national register of voters already compiled and maintained by the defendant for each state of the federation.”

The plaintiff also requested that the same register be used for election at the Federal Capital Territory, as well as local government councils.


Meanwhile, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat in Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State was reportedly burnt by some aggrieved supporters of the party.