Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said it has a history of complying with court judgments as such the interim injunction given on voter’s registration will be looked into.
Newsonline reports that INEC said it has always put the feelings of the citizens into consideration in its policies.
Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, disclosed this while reacting to a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja, on Monday, which barred the commission from closing the voter’s registration exercise.
Newsonline had reported that an advocacy group SERAP and 185 concerned Nigerians, on June 5, approached the court to bar INEC from closing the voter’s registration exercise on June 30.
SERAP argued that closing the exercise would disenfranchise most Nigerians, stating that INEc action runs contrary to the 1999 constitution as amended.
In reaction to the ruling, Rotimi Oyekanmi, on Tuesday, said: “First of all, we have a history of complying with court judgments or orders. However, as you know, once a matter goes to court, it becomes subjudice for you to comment on it.
“I haven’t seen a copy of what the court said but I know that from the reports I have read, the court has asked us to come on I think June 29 to show cause on why the prayers of the applicants shouldn’t be granted. Of course, INEC will go to court on the said day and make a case but you will recall that in Lagos during the ‘Youth Vote Count’ concert, the INEC Chairman was there and he assured the youths. The youths were calling for an extension and he said well, they will hear from the commission.
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“Now, when the commission saw the situation, it deployed about 209 machines to different centers in those areas where there is pressure and the commission will look at the effect of that between that time when the machines were deployed and the deadline that was set. The Chairman assured them that the commission will do what will be in the best interest of Nigerians.
“The issue is the commission is sensitive to Nigerians but at the same time, we should also remember that this CVR started in June 2021 and it is for those who have never registered before or those who just turned 18 but what we discovered in the fire and second quarter was that almost half of those who registered were double registrants and that was why when the chairman was giving a report on that, he said 46 percent of those who registered between June and December were invalid registrants. So, their second registrations were struck out”.
