Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Contrary to reports that the Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, has been extended by 60 days, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said the June 30 deadline for the exercise remains sacrosanct.
The electoral umpire, however, said that despite its deadline, voter registration might continue following the court injunction asking the commission not to end the exercise yet.
INEC National Electoral Commissioner for information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, who made the explanation on Wednesday, urged members of the public to ignore the fake reports.
According to him: “No. We have not extended anything. The June 30 deadline still stands.”
Okoye said that INEC would be going to court to give its position on June 29 concerning the injunction by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
“There is a court order to ensure we do not stop registration this month. The injunction is what is subsisting. But as I said earlier, the commission has not extended voter registration for a day.
“We will be going to court on the 29th of this month to explain our stand on the June 30 deadline. But as of now, the commission has not extended registration but will only respect the court order.”
Recall that a Federal High Court in Abuja had restrained INEC from ending the on-going voter registration on June 30, 2022, following a suit by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP.
Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon, on Monday, granted an order of interim injunction following the hearing of an argument on motion ex parte filed by SERAP.
SERAP and 185 concerned Nigerians had early this month filed the lawsuit against INEC, asking the court to “declare unconstitutional, illegal and incompatible with international standards the failure of the electoral body to extend the deadline for voter registration to allow eligible Nigerians to exercise their rights.”
In the suit, SERAP had asked the court for “an order restraining INEC, its agents, privies, assigns, or any other person(s) claiming through it from discontinuing the continuous voters’ registration exercise from the June 30, 2022, or any other date pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”
