The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), alongside BudgIT and thirty-four concerned Nigerians, have jointly filed a lawsuit against Bola Tinubu.
The lawsuit addresses the contentious appointment of four members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The lawsuit filed by SERAP and others, with reference number FHC/L/CS/2353/2023, was lodged at the Federal High Court in Lagos last Friday.
The plaintiffs seek “an order setting aside the nomination, confirmation, and appointment of the alleged APC members as RECs for INEC, for being unconstitutional, unlawful, null, void, and of no effect.”
The appointed RECs from Lagos, Rivers, Edo, and Akwa Ibom States, who are alleged to have affiliations with high-ranking politicians, have prompted this legal challenge.
Notably, seven out of the 10 newly appointed RECs were recently confirmed by the Senate.
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The plaintiffs further demand an order of mandamus compelling Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio to remove the alleged APC members as RECs for INEC, in adherence to Section 157 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended].
Emphasizing the significance of INEC’s independence and impartiality, the plaintiffs argue that “The status, powers, independence of INEC, and the impartiality with which it acts and is seen to be allowed to act, are fundamental to the integrity of Nigeria’s elections and effectiveness of citizens’ democratic rights.”
The legal representation for the plaintiffs is led by lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Andrew Nwankwo.
The defendants named in the lawsuit include INEC, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and the individuals appointed as RECs: Etekamba Umoren, Isah Shaka Ehimeakne, Anugbum Onuoha, and Bunmi Omoseyindemi.
As of now, a date for the hearing of the suit is yet to be determined.
The outcome of this legal action could have significant implications for the appointment processes within INEC and, consequently, the democratic landscape in Nigeria. #SERAP