The decision of a federal high court ordering it to permit registered voters using Temporary Voter’s Cards, or TVCs, to participate in the March 18 gubernatorial and state assembly elections was not received, according to the Independent National Election Commission, or INEC.
The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, stated, “I have not yet seen a Certified True Copy of the court order and, as a result, I cannot comment on it.
On Thursday Judge Obiora Eguatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja made a decision in a case that had been filed before him by two registered voters who had been wronged, Kofoworola Olusegun and Wilson Allwell.
The court determined that Section 47 of the statute merely allowed for a voter’s card, and that neither the 1999 Constitution nor the Electoral Act (as modified) contain any language stating that only Permanent Voter’s Cards, or PVCs, may be used.
Section 47(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended) provides that: “A person intending to vote in an election shall present himself with his voter’s card to a Presiding Officer for accreditation at the polling unit in the constituency in which his name is registered”.
Since 2011, INEC has continuously upheld a stance of “no PVC, no vote,” relying on its authority to create election rules and oversee the electoral process.
According to a source at the commission, the verdict violates the requirements of the Electoral Act 2033 (as modified), which mandates that only voters possessing Permanent Voter’s Cards, or PVCs, should be permitted to cast ballots in elections.
The source said, “It is a judgment that we don’t agree with and I can tell you that when we get the Certified True Copy, CTC, we shall study it meticulously and decide on our next line of action”.