Court Set Date To Decide If Nigerians In Diaspora Should Participate In Elections
On February 15, a federal high court in Abuja will issue its ruling in a lawsuit asking for permission for Nigerians living abroad to cast ballots in the upcoming general elections.
After listening to the arguments made by the attorneys for the plaintiffs and defendants, Justice Inyang Ekwo set the date on Tuesday, according to TheCable.
Chikwe Nkemnacho and Kenneth Nkemnacho, who reside in the UK, are the plaintiffs.
On behalf of Nigerians abroad, the lawsuit was filed.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), INEC’s chairman, the President of Nigeria, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria are listed as the first through fourth defendants, respectively.
In the lawsuit with the file number FHC/ABJ/CS/2119/2022, the plaintiffs requested that the court order INEC and the Nigerian government to halt general election activities until all Nigerians abroad are included to the voter registration list.
In addition, they urged the court to decide that Nigerians living abroad who are of voting age have a right to participate in the electoral process by registering to vote in all elections, regardless of where they reside, in accordance with provisions 13, 14, 42, and 17 of the 1999 constitution.
Additionally, they requested that the court rule that the electoral body still has time to abide by clauses 13, 14, and 15 of the 1999 constitution.
They contend that allowing them to vote in the 2023 elections and future ones would constitute a flagrant violation of their fundamental rights as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.
