By John Ikani
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians that the commission will comply with the court order to extend the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration to June 30.
INEC’s Chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu who gave the assurance at a briefing ahead of the Youth Vote Count Mega Music Concert on Saturday, said the commission has a history of complying with court orders.
A statement issued by Yakubu’s Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekamni quoted him as saying that the commission has a history of complying with court orders.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had issued an order stopping INEC from ending the ongoing voters’ registration exercise.
The electoral body had stated that the voters’ registration exercise would end on Thursday, June 30, to allow the commission to clean up its database ahead of the general election scheduled to take place in 2023.
Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon in the court’s ruling granted an order of interim injunction following the hearing of an argument on motion ex-parte by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
What INEC is saying
Speaking at the briefing on Tuesday, the INEC chairman said: “The commission has a history of complying with the court order, that I can assure you. I understand from the court papers that the commission was asked to come on the 29th of this month to give the court and submit certain documents.
“We are going to do that but remember that once a matter is in court, it is subjudice to talk about it.”
About The Youth Vote Count Mega Music Concert
The Youth Vote Count Mega Music Concert is an event organised by INEC in partnership with Yiaga Africa and funded by the European Union.
INEC said it had deployed 150 staff to the Old Parade Ground in Abuja, venue of the Youth Vote Count Mega Music Concert.
The 150 staff of the commission will man several registration machines also deployed to the arena to capture data and biometrics of all eligible voters for the concert.
According to the commission, the measure is geared towards ensuring that all eligible voters who make it to the Mega Music concert are registered for the processing of their Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC).
