The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure it electronically upload from the polling units to the IReV, the results for the forthcoming governorship and state House of Assembly elections in Lagos State.
The court made the ruling as the Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, alongside 40 others had filed a lawsuit seeking an order compelling INEC to totally obey the provisions in the Electoral Act.
The applicants said the suit became necessary following the failure of INEC to electronically upload results during the presidential election and to ensure the electoral commission doesn’t repeat same in the governorship election.
Delivering judgment on the suit, Justice Peter Lifu 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.
Therfore, Justice Lifu 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.”
