Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing its voter register to the Rivers State Government’s electoral body for the state’s local government area (LGA) elections billed for October 15.
Justice Lifu gave the order on Friday in the suit filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging the legitimacy of the local elections being planned by the Rivers State Government led by the Peoples Democratic (PDP).
The court also stopped the police and the State Security Service (SSS) not to provide security for the state’s local government elections.
“An order is hereby made directing the 1st to the 5th defendants to maintain the status quo ante bellum and not to do any act or take any further steps towards the conduct of the Local Government Election in Rivers State slated for 5 October 2024 pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction,” the judge ordered.
The judge also ordered the APC to file within 24 hours a fresh undertaking indemnifying the RSIEC, the INEC and other defendants in case the court later discovers that it was misled to issue the orders.
Justice Lifu ordered that the ruling be served on the defendants through a substituted means by publishing all the filings in The Punch and The Nation newspapers within four days as from Friday.
The judge then adjourned further hearing till 2 August, implying that the orders would be in force until then.
The defendants will be able to respond to the suit after it is served on them.
The APC filed the ex parte application on July 18 demanding that the defendants be restrained before the hearing of its substantive suit, just as it also filed the main suit on July 15 to stop INEC from releasing the register of voters in Rivers State to RSIEC for the conduct of the 15 October LGA elections.
It sued INEC, RSIEC, the Attorney-General of Rivers State, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the SSS, arguing that RSIEC failed to fulfil legal requirements to conduct the local government election.
