A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the leadership of the National Rescue Movement (NRM) that emerged from the party emergency national convention held in Abuja on January 17.
The emergency convention held to fill vacant positions in the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and correct lopsidedness in its composition produced Edozie Njoku as NRM’s National Chairman.
Since the convention was held, INEC refused to accept the outcome of the convention because it did not monitor the exercise, a position Justice Obiora Egwuatu faulted in a judgment delivered on Wednesday.
The judgment was on a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/45/2025 filed by the NRM, with INEC as the sole respondent.
Justice Egwuatu held that there was evidence that NRM served INEC a valid notice of its emergency national convention and that it was wrong for the electoral body to have refused to monitor the exercise as the law mandates it to do.
The judge further held that the notice from the NRM, not being short of the required 21 days, INEC had no reason not to have monitor .the emergency convention.
The judge said he was convinced that the NRM effectively made out a case to warrant the grant of the relief sought.
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Justice Egwuatu declared that, pursuant to the provisions of Sections 82(1)} and 83 (1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the respondent is under a constitutional obligation to accept and monitor the emergency convention of the applicant (NRM) to fill vacancy and correct lopsidedness in its National Executive Committee (NEC).
He also declared that the failure of the respondent (INEC) to accept and monitor the emergency convention of the applicant to fill vacancy and correct lopsidedness in its NEC amounted to a refusal/failure to discharge its constitutional and/or public duty contrary to the provisions of Sections 82(1) and 83 (1) of the Electoral Act, 2022 and therefore unconstitutional and unlawful.
The judge proceeded to issue and order of mandamus compelling INEC “to accept and monitor the emergency convention of the applicant to fill vacancy and correct lopsidedness in its NEC and recognize the decision or outcome of the convention.”
Details shortly…