Court Orders INEC To Recognise NRM’s Leadership Led By Edozie Njoku

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been directed by Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court Abuja to acknowledge the leadership of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), which was formed during the January 17 party emergency national convention in Abuja.

Edozie Njoku became the National Chairman of the NRM after an emergency convention was conducted to address imbalances in the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and fill open seats.

Because INEC did not oversee the process, it has refused to accept the convention’s results since it was held. Justice Egwuatu criticized this stance in a ruling this Wednesday.

The ruling concerned a lawsuit brought by the NRM in which INEC was the only respondent.

According to Justice Egwuatu, there was proof that NRM had served INEC with a legitimate notice of its emergency national convention, and the electoral authority had erred in refusing to oversee the procedure as required by law.

The judge also ruled that INEC had no excuse for not keeping an eye on the emergency convention because the notice from the NRM was within the minimum 21 days.

The judge expressed his conviction that the NRM had successfully presented a case to support the requested relief.

In accordance with Sections 82(1) and 83(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, Justice Egwuatu ruled that the respondent is required by the constitution to accept and oversee the applicant’s (NRM) emergency convention in order to fill a vacancy and address an imbalance in its National Executive Committee (NEC).

Additionally, he ruled that the respondent (INEC) had failed to fulfill its constitutional and/or public duty in violation of Sections 82(1) and 83(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, by failing to monitor and accept the applicant’s emergency convention, fill the vacancy, and correct the lopsidedness in its NEC. As a result, he said, this was unconstitutional and unlawful.

The judge then issued a mandamus ruling requiring INEC “to accept and monitor the emergency convention of the applicant to fill a vacancy, and correct lopsidedness in its NEC and recognize the decision or outcome of the convention.”

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