Lawyer drags INEC to court, seeks postponement of Nov 6 Anambra guber election

Ahead of the 2021 Anambra governorship election, a human rights lawyer, Jezie Ekejiuba, has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the Federal High court over the security challenges in the state.

In the suit, Ekejiuba said the conduct of the governorship election by INEC on November 6, 2021 will be a threatened violation of the fundamental right to life as well as constitutional right to freely vote at an election to the office of Governor of the State, owing to the undisputed emergencies of killings, murders and deaths of many citizens of Anambra State caused by insecurity.

Ekejiuba while citing the provisions of Sections 33(1), 46(1), 178(1) (2) & (5) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended, Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, section 26 (1) of the Electoral Act, 2010 as amended and the incidence of insecurity in Anambra State, asked the court to compel INEC to postpone or extend the time limited by the constitution to conduct the Anambra State governorship election earlier scheduled for November 6, 2021 to February 15, 2022.

The lawyer also asked the court to nullify and void the election of any Governor-elect or issuance of any Certificate of Return to any Governor-elect that emerged in the said November 6, 2021 poll by INEC in violation or threatened violation of the people’s fundamental right to life as well as constitutional right to freely vote at the election, adding that his proposed February 15, 2022 postponed date is still within the time limited by the constitution to conduct the said election.