Prince Ozodinobi Drags INEC To Court, Asks For Clean-up Of Voters’ Register Before General Elections

Prince Ozodinobi, has asked a federal high court in Abuja to restrain Independent National Electoral Commission, from conducting 2023 General Election without cleaning the Voters’ Register before the election.

Prince Ozodinobi, averred that the Voters’ Register is tainted with “double registrants” and under-aged voters.

In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/24/2023, the Plaintiff also asked the court to appoint a reputable Auditing Firm to carry out external forensic audit on the Voters’ Register.

The Plaintiff sought the following reliefs:

A DECLARATION of this Honourable Court that in view of a community reading of Section 117(2) and Part I of the Third Schedule to the amended 1999 Constitution, Sections 12 (1), 19 and 20 of the Electoral Act, 2022 a credible general election cannot be conducted by the 1st Defendant on the basis of a Voters’ Register containing “double registrants” and under-aged voters.

A DECLARATION of this Honourable Court that having regard to section 117(2) and Part I of the Third Schedule to the amended 1999 Constitution, Section 12 (1), 19 and 20 of the Electoral Act, 2022 it is not unconstitutional for the 1st Defendant to conduct a general election with a Voters’ Register besmirched/afflicted with “double registrants” and under-aged voters

AN ORDER of this Honourable Court expunging FORTHWITH, from the Voters’ Register maintained by the 1st Defendant, the list of double registrants and under-aged voters as identified and assembled by the Plaintiffs in Exhibit A of the affidavit supporting this Originating Summons.

AN ORDER of this Honourable Court restraining the 1st Defendant from conducting the 2023 General Elections with a Voters’ Register containing the list of double registrants and under-aged voters as identified and assembled by the Plaintiffs in Exhibit A of the affidavit supporting this Originating Summons.

AN ORDER of this Honourable Court appointing a reputable Auditing Firm [including but not limited to either; PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), KPMG, Deloitte & Touche and Ernst & Young to carry out external forensic audit on the Voters’ Register maintained by the 1st Defendant with a view to removing all under-aged and double registrants from the Voters’ Register before the 2023 General Elections.

AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the Federal Government of Nigeria, as represented by the 2nd Defendant, to bear the cost of the external forensic audit to be carried out on the INEC’s Voters’ Register by the court-appointed Auditing Firm.

The other Defendants in the suit is the Attorney-General Of The Federation