The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to continue continuous voter registration (CVR) up until 90 days before the 2023 elections.
The decision was made on Tuesday by Justice Inyang Ekwo, who ordered INEC to make sure that all eligible Nigerians receive voter ID cards in time for the next election.
According to Justice Ekwo's decision, it is the electoral umpire's responsibility under the Nigerian constitution to make sure that the registration of new voters is done in a way that complies with the laws of the nation.
The judge ruled that the plaintiff’s case was “successful on merit.”
The suit was brought by Anajat Salmat and three others against INEC, and the judgement was rendered on that matter. The case number of the lawsuit is FHC/ABJ/CS/1343/2022.
In their initial summons, the plaintiffs claimed that INEC lacked the authority to halt ongoing voter registration in light of the relevant constitutional provisions.
They asked the court to force the electoral umpire to restart the process so it could be carried out legally.