The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) National Electoral Commissioner for information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye says the commission would be going to court on June 29 in respect of the injunction granted by the Federal High Court, Abuja, for the extension of the exercise.
Recall that a Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon (Court 10) on Monday, June 20, 2022, granted an order of interim injunction stopping INEC from ending voter registration on June 30, 2022.
This followed the hearing of an argument on motion exparte by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
Also, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Aishatu Jibril Dukku, while briefing her colleagues today Wednesday during plenary on the committee’s efforts to ensure implementation of the House resolution reached last week said, INEC has agreed to extend the ongoing continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise initially slated to end at the end of June 2022.
“The Committee held a meeting with INEC yesterday (Tuesday) and they agreed to extend the CVR, all our resolutions were approved,” she said at plenary on Wednesday.
However, INEC National Electoral Commissioner for information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, told The Punch that there was no truth that it extended the deadline by 60 days.
“No. We have not extended anything. The June 30 deadline still stands,” he said, saying that the commission would be going to court on June 29 in respect of the injunction granted by the Federal High Court, Abuja.
“There is a court order to ensure we do not stop registration this month. The injunction is what is subsisting. But as I said earlier, the commission has not extended voter registration for a day.
“We will be going to court on the 29th of this month to explain our stand on the June 30 deadline. But as of now, the commission has not extended registration but will only respect the court order,” Okoye said.
Sources: PM NEWS/LEADERSHIP
