September 12th, 2024
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kwara state has issued a stern warning to its staff, cautioning them against any form of involvement in the ongoing legal battle between the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), InsideKwara can exclusively reports.
Inside sources in INEC informed this medium that Mallam Sodiq Abubakar, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, made the declaration during an emergency meeting with top INEC officials earlier this week.
Abubakar stated that INEC had received a copy of the Federal High Court’s ruling on the dispute and emphasized that the commission would fully comply with the judgement. The REC warned staff members against engaging in any clandestine deals with political actors, which could undermine the integrity of the court’s decision. He stressed that any such underhanded tactics would not be tolerated.
Allegations have emerged suggesting that KWASIEC is attempting to obtain the updated INEC voter register through intermediaries posing as consultants. This comes after official communication from KWASIEC to INEC regarding the register allegedly failed to yield any results.
This medium had previously reported that the legal conflict between the state electoral body and the opposition party began over a month ago when Justice Lifu issued an injunction restraining INEC from releasing the National Voter’s Register for use in local government elections. Specifically, the order blocked the release of the voter register to KWASIEC, citing unresolved legal issues that must be settled before the elections could proceed.
The PDP, represented by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mr. Kehinde Ogunwumiju, has raised concerns over the legality of using the national voter register in the upcoming local government polls. The party argues that deploying the register violates multiple sections of the Electoral Act 2022, as well as the Kwara State Local Government Electoral (Amendment) Law, 2024. The PDP claims that KWASIEC has overlooked critical legal requirements necessary for the proper conduct of the elections.
Following the PDP’s ex parte application, the court not only restrained KWASIEC and the Kwara State Attorney General from using the voter register, but also instructed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the State Security Service (SSS) to refrain from providing security for the local elections until the court hears the PDP’s motion for an interlocutory injunction.
The final outcome of the legal dispute is expected to have a profound impact on the local government elections in Kwara.