FEDERAL HIGH COURT IN ABUJA ORDERS INEC TO IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZE THE LEADERSHIP OF THE NATIONAL RESCUE MOVEMENT 06-03-25
By Sadiq Aminu A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to immediately recognise the leadership of the National Rescue Movement, NRM, that emerged from the party’s emergency national convention held in Abuja on January 17.
The emergency convention, was 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.
Delivering judgment, Justice Obiora Egwuatu faulted the position of the electoral body and ordered it to recognise and accept the leadership of Chief Edozie Njoku.
Justice Egwuatu held that there was evidence that the NRM served INEC with 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 mandated it to do.
The judge further held that since the notice from the NRM was not shorter than the required 21 days, INEC had no reason not to have monitored the emergency convention.
Justice Egwuatu declared that the respondent, INEC, is under a constitutional obligation to accept and monitor the emergency convention of the applicant, NRM, to fill vacancies 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 vacancies and correct lopsidedness in its NEC amounted to a refusal or failure to discharge its constitutional and public duty, contrary to the provisions of Sections 82(1) and 83(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, and was therefore unconstitutional and unlawful.
The judge proceeded to issue an order of mandamus compelling INEC “to accept and monitor the emergency convention of the applicant to fill vacancies and correct lopsidedness in its NEC and recognise the decision or outcome of the convention.”
Reacting after the judgment, NRM National Chairman, Chief Edozie Njoku urged INEC to graciously obey the court order.
“Today, it has been made abundantly clear to INEC that everything that came out of our emergency national convention held on January 17, both Constitutional amendment is legal and binding on INEC.
“We are appealing to INEC to please, accept the order of mandamus imposed on them by the court that they should accept immediately our leadership.