Court mandates INEC to transmit gov polls results electronically
Wednesday, the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to directly and electronically upload the results of the forthcoming governorship and state House of Assembly elections in Lagos State from the polling units to the IReV.
Justice Peter Lifu issued the order while delivering judgment in a case brought by the Labour Party and 41 others, who sought a mandamus order compelling INEC to comply with the Electoral Act and its guidelines for the conduct of elections.
The judge determined that the court had the authority to hear the case because it had been filed by the law.
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In addition, he ruled that the subject of the lawsuit was not a pre-election issue because the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs dealt with election preparation and not election administration.
Justice Lifu added that the applicants’ sole objective was to compel the electoral body to comply with the Constitution, its regulations, and its guidelines, as it failed to do so during the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.
Therefore, the court granted the applicants “an order of mandamus directing and compelling the defendant and all its agents and their privies or any persons acting at their direction to comply with and enforce the provision of Clause 37 of the Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022 for the conduct of the governorship and House of Assembly elections in Lagos State on 11 March 2023, to wit: Mandating the Presiding Officer of all Polling Units to preside over the polling process per the provisions
