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Court Gives INEC 90 Days Ultimatum To Remove Minors From Voter Register, Handover Culprits For Prosecution

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5 months ago

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been given a 90-day deadline by a federal high court located in Abuja to identify the individuals responsible for the registration of minors as voters nationwide.

Obiora Egwuatu, the presiding judge, also ordered that the culprits be handed over to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for investigation and possible prosecution.

The judge ordered the commission to immediately remove all of the names of the minor voters from every polling place in the federation that were posted on its website from its national voters’ register.

He further made an order compelling the commission to furnish the plaintiff with a certified true copy (CTC) of the cleaned-up national voters’ register of all the persons eligible to vote in Nigeria within 90 days.

Alternatively, he ordered the electoral umpire to publish the cleaned-up national voters’ register of all the persons eligible to vote in the country on its website within 90 days from the date of the judgment.

Recall that Mike Agbon, a cleric, had sued INEC in the originating summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/367/2023 filed on March 17.

In the suit, the plaintiff, through his lawyer, Desmond Yamah, submitted that the lack of credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process has caused great distress in the political space.

Agbon said before the 2023 general election, the electoral umpire conducted Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) nationwide and displayed the national register of voters on its website between November 12, 2022 and November 25, 2022.

He said after looking through the national voter registration database, he realised that the commission registered voters who were underage, in violation of the Electoral Act, which specified the requirements for registration in detail.

The plaintiff backed his argument with compiled copies from the INEC website of the underage registered and marked it as “Exhibit A.”

He told the court that on November 23, 2022, Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, at a national stakeholders’ forum on elections organised by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (NCSSR), assured Nigerians that the commission would clean up the register ahead of the elections.

Agbon said through his lawyer, he formally requested the commission to furnish him with the list and names of the underage and ineligible voters, but it vehemently refused and ignored the said application.

However, despite being served with court processes and hearing notices, INEC was neither represented in court nor filed any defence.

Delivering judgment on November 28, Egwuatu ruled in favour of the plaintiff.

“As I have found earlier in this judgment, the voters registered by the defendant in Exhibit ‘A’ are underage, that is, they have not attained the age of 18 years,” he said.

“What this translates into is that the registration officers and an update officers of the defendant failed in their duties to carry out the registration of voters in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and the Electoral Act.”

Citing provisions of Section 120(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, he said any officer who acted in breach of his or her official duty committed an offence and would be liable on conviction to a maximum fine of N500, 000 or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or both.

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BIG STORY

JUST IN: President Tinubu, Shettima, Governors, Other VIPs To Pay Toll At Airports

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13 hours ago

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May 14, 2024

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As part of the Federal Government drive to boost its revenue, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has mandated that President Bola Tinubu, Vice President, Kashim Shettima, Governors and other dignitaries henceforth pay the required fees at tollgates whenever they use the nation’s airports.

The approval was made days after it was revealed that at least 82 percent of airport tollgate revenue is lost through non-paying Very Important Personalities (VIPs).

 

More to come…

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How Content Creator Was Shot Dead On Set In Abuja Over N2,000

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14 hours ago

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May 14, 2024

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A fast-rising Nigerian content creator, Chidike Emmanuel, has been murdered by gunmen in Mpape, Abuja.

It was gathered that the skit maker was among six persons attacked by the gunmen last Saturday in the federal capital territory.

According to The Cable, source familiar with the incident said that Emmanuel was killed at the location of a project he was supposed to feature in.

The insider disclosed that the gunmen initially demanded money in order to allow them to shoot at the location.

The content creator was said to have given the armed men N2,000. However, what transpired that led to the shooting of the cast members remains unknown.

It was gathered some of the cast members who ran for safety suffered injuries.

Some users close to Emmanuel took to X to mourn the deceased while demanding justice.

“Chidike Emmanuel Obinna I have known you since 2018 You are such a calm and kind soul You couldn’t attend my wedding because you were far away but you sent me your gift #Justiceforchidi,” Helen wrote.

On her part, Rakeli added: “Obinna Chidike Emmanuel, please don’t die please. Pick my calls, reply my chat and tell me all that I am hearing is a lie. Biko I am loosing my mind”.

Efforts to reach Josephine Adeh, the FCT police spokesperson, to comment on the matter have been abortive.

Calls and messages to Adeh’s phone have not been responded to, as of the time of this report.

The development comes a few weeks after Junior Pope passed away after a boat accident on the River Niger in Asaba, Delta state.

The actor and some crew members were heading to a movie location when the boat accident occurred.

His family disclosed that the actor’s final rites will be held on May 17.

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Police Arrest Man ‘Strapped With Bomb’ Inside Bank In Plateau

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18 hours ago

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May 14, 2024

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Security operatives have apprehended a man strapped with Person Borne Improvised Explosive Device (SPBIED) inside a bank in Plateau.

The individual was arrested at a bank in Dadin Kowa town, which is in Jos South LGA of the state, according to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency journal that focuses on the Lake Chad region. According to the article, the incident happened on May 13.

Makama was informed by intelligence sources that the individual intended to set off the explosives at the bank, but a vigilante officer noticed him and alerted the authorities.

According to the publication, an enraged mob encircled the suspect after he was captured and demanded that he be murdered.

Makama could not confirm if the suspect is connected to the fighters of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).

The publication added that the suspect is in the custody of the police and currently undergoing investigation.

Nigeria has been battling insurgency for two decades, with suicide bombings, displacement of entire communities and kidnapping for ransom by the terrorists, recorded in that span.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said about 83 children, mostly girls, were used as human bombs in 2017 alone.

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