Wednesday, March 11, 2015

2015 Elections: IPAC Charges INEC On Card Reader Use

In a bid to educate the masses on election ethics, members of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) marched around Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), distributing election’s code of conducts, produced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to citizens.

During a press briefing before the march on Tuesday, the council spoke on the need for the INEC to ensure it provides enough card readers during the polls.

The council said in a press conference tagged “No PVC, No Election; No Card Readers, No Election”, that the time for rigging in the country is over.

The INEC had shown its readiness for forthcoming general elections, by conducting a field test on card readers which was successful according to officials.

Prior to this, The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation and some political Parties had rejected the use of card readers during the forthcoming general elections, which had been rescheduled to March 28 and April 11, due to security challenges in some parts of the country.

According to them, the use of card readers is a ploy to disenfranchise citizens in the coming elections.

Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Abuja, had refused an application brought by four registered political parties, seeking to restrain the INEC from using card readers in the conduct of the general elections.

The United Democratic Party, Action Alliance, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria and Alliance for Democracy, told the court through their counsel, Alex Iziyon, that the proposed use of the card readers was contrary to the provisions of the constitution, as well as the amended 2010 Electoral Act.

In the suit, the political parties challenged the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to introduce a process not specifically provided for in the constitution, as it prepares for the rescheduled polls.

However, in his ruling on the exparte motion, the trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, noted that the political parties had shown that they had legal rights, showing that the case is triable, but observed that the parties would not suffer any irreparable harm if the electoral body is given the opportunity to be heard before the interim orders being sought could be granted.

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