Court orders INEC to allow use of temporary voter’s card for March 18 elections

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow the use of temporary voter’s cards in the March 18 governorship and state house of assembly elections.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu gave the order while delivering judgment in a suit filed by Messers Kofoworola Olusegun and Wilson Allwell challenging whether a person “whose name appears in the electronic format in INEC’s central database and manual, printed paper-based record or hard copy format of the register of voters and has been assigned a Voter’s Identification Number can be said to be entitled to be accredited to vote with his/her TVC in the general election to be conducted by the defendant.”

Egwuatu said: “An order is made compelling the defendant (INEC) to allow the plaintiffs to vote using their Temporary Voter Cards issued by the defendant, the plaintiffs having been duly captured in the National Register of Voter’s database.

“A declaration is made by this court that the plaintiffs, having fulfilled all necessary legal requirements to register and having consequently been captured in the defendant’s (INEC) central database and manual, printed paper-based record or hard copy format of the defendant’s maintained Register of Voters, the plaintiffs are entitled to vote using their Temporary Voter Cards in the forthcoming 2023 General Election.”

Mr Victor Opatola, Counsel to the plaintiffs, speaking after the judgment, said people should not be made to suffer after fulfilling all requirements by law but were not issued their PVCs until the time for collection of PVCs was over.

“So, what the court is saying is that these two people who have fulfilled all necessary requirements can vote with their TVCs.

“Then by law of equity, it should also apply to all Nigerians who have fulfilled all necessary requirements and were issued TVCs by INEC.”