INEC has filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal Abuja, seeking to overturn a ruling by the Federal High Court. The verdict ordered INEC to allow voters with Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs) to participate in the upcoming Governorship and National Assembly elections. INEC has requested an injunction against the execution of the March 9th judgement, pending the determination of its appeal.
INEC has cited three grounds for its appeal. The first is that the Federal High Court erred in dismissing its argument that allowing the use of TVCs would constitute an infringement on the powers of the National Assembly. INEC also claims that the trial court was wrong to state that PVCs were not mentioned in the Constitution or the Electoral Act as a prerequisite for voting.
INEC contends that the trial court’s decision undermines the purpose of the Manual & Guidelines, which prescribe accreditation and voting procedures that exclusively use PVCs. The Federal High Court had ordered INEC to permit two aggrieved registered voters, Misters Kofoworola Olusegun and Wilson Allwell, to participate in the elections with their TVCs.
The plaintiffs claimed that they could only obtain their PVCs after the deadline set by INEC, despite repeated attempts.
The trial court held that the evidence showed that the plaintiffs were duly registered, with their details captured in INEC’s database. Therefore, the court ordered INEC to allow them to vote using the TVCs issued by the electoral body, having been duly captured in the National Register of Voters database.
