Nigerians have complained that the June 30 deadline is hard to meet as long queues have become the norm in registration centres.
On Monday, June 20, 2022, the Federal High Court in Abuja served the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) an interim order which restrains the Nigerian electoral body from carrying out its plan of halting the ongoing voter registration on Thursday, June 30, 2022.
The interim order from the judge, Mobolaji Olajuwon, was a result of an application filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and 185 other Nigerians concerned for an interim injunction on INEC.
SERAP in a statement on Monday noted that they filed the suit owing to the fact that INEC extended the deadline for primary elections held by the various political parties in Nigeria but “failed to also extend the online pre-registration which ended May 30, 2022, and the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) ending June 30, 2022.” The statement also revealed that the court after granting their request for an interim order extending the deadline for voter registration further adjourned the case to June 29, 2022.
Part of SERAP’s statement said:
“Enforcing unrealistic voter registration deadline while extending the deadline for party primaries would deny and abridge the constitutional and international human rights of eligible voters. INEC mandates ought to be exercised in a fair, just and non-discriminatory manner. The extension of voter registration would ensure that Nigerian voters are treated equally and fairly. The future of Nigeria’s democracy depends on it.”
SERAP further said that voters “are also critical stakeholders in the electoral process, “and argued that treating “all eligible Nigerian voters fairly would advance the people’s right to vote and to participate in their own government.”
Source:
Premium Times
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