The opposition Action Alliance, AA, has approached the Federal High Court in Enugu through an Originating Summons, requesting that the local government council election in Enugu State, scheduled for September 21, 2024, be halted until certain constitutional prerequisites have been met by the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), DAILY GAZETTE reports.
In the suit Action Alliance v. Independent National Electoral Commission & Anor, FHC/EN/CS/157/2024, the opposition party contends that ENSIEC failed to meet its constitutional duty by not notifying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) about the upcoming local government elections.
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This failure, according to the party, has prevented INEC from displaying or publishing the updated Voters’ Register for the 17 local government areas of Enugu State—compiled after the 2023 general elections—as required by the Electoral Act of 2022.
The Act mandates that this register be made available no later than 90 days before the election.
Action Alliance also argues that ENSIEC cannot conduct the election without INEC first reconfiguring the BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) machines.
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These machines, according to the party, must be used concurrently by both INEC and ENSIEC to ensure accurate voter accreditation in the 2024 local government council election, as stipulated by the Electoral Act.
The party is seeking a court declaration that ENSIEC cannot lawfully conduct the elections without first complying with the constitutionally mandated requirements.
It also prays for an injunction to stop the elections from taking place until these requirements, as laid out in Section 150 of the Electoral Act 2022, are met.
