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The Federal High Court in Lagos, on Wednesday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to directly and electronically upload from the polling units to the IReV the results of the forthcoming, governorship and state House of Assembly elections in Lagos State.
Justice Peter Lifu made the order while delivering judgment on a suit filed by the Labour Party and 41 others, in which they sought an order of mandamus to compel INEC to obey the Electoral Act and its guidelines for the conduct of the elections.
The judge held that the court had the jurisdiction to entertain the suit because it was commenced in accordance with the provisions of the law.
He also held that the subject matter of the suit was not a pre-election issue because the reliefs sought by the applicants deal with preparation for elections and not the conduct of the elections.
Justice Lifu further stated that all that the applicants were trying to do was to compel the electoral body to comply with the Constitution, its regulations, and guidelines, following its failure to do so during the presidential and National Assembly elections held on February 25.
Therefore the court granted the applicants “an order of mandamus directing and compelling the defendant and all its agents and their privies or any persons acting under their directions to comply with and enforce the provision of Clause 37 of the Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022 for the conduct of the governorship and House of Assembly elections in Lagos State on 11 March 2023, to wit: Mandating the Presiding Officer of all Polling Units to paste the Publication of Result Poster EC60(E) at the Polling Units conspicuously after completing the EC8A result sheet.” (Punch)
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