Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from releasing the voters register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, for the conduct of local government election scheduled to hold on October 5.
The court, in the judgement that was delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, equally barred the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, and the Department of State Service, DSS, from providing security for the planned elections.
The orders followed a suit filed by the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Justice Lifu held that RSIEC erred by fixing a date for the conduct of polls in the 23 local government areas without strict compliance with relevant laws guiding such election.
He faulted the electoral body for not publishing the 90 days’ mandatory notice, before it scheduled the election.
More so, the court held that the update and revision of voters register to be used for the election ought to have been concluded before any valid date could be fixed for the polls.
Consequently, it ordered INEC not to make the certified voters register available to RSIEC, pending when the relevant laws are complied with.
It barred RSIEC from accepting any voters register from INEC or using same for the purpose of the LG polls fixed for October 5.
