A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the leaders produced during National Rescue Movement (NRM) convention.
Naija News reports that INEC refused to accept the leadership of NRM that emerged from the party’s 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.
INEC said it did not monitor the convention and would not recognize leadership from the convention.
In his ruling on Wednesday, Justice Obiora Egwuatu faulted INEC’s position. 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.
The judge further held that the notice from the NRM, not being short of the required 21 days, INEC had no reason for not monitoring the convention.
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).
According to the Nation, Egwuatu 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.
