A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to recognise the leadership of the National Rescue Movement, 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.
Since the convention was held, INEC has refused to accept the outcome on the grounds that it did not monitor the exercise.
However, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, in a judgment on Wednesday, faulted the position of the electoral body and ordered it to recognise and accept the leadership of Edozie Njoku.
The judgment was delivered in 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 the NRM served INEC with a valid notice of its emergency national convention and that it was wrong for the electoral body to have refused to monitor the exercise, as the law mandates it to do.
The judge further held that since the notice from the NRM was not shorter than the required 21 days, INEC had no reason not to have monitored the emergency convention.
Justice Egwuatu said he was convinced that the NRM had effectively made out a case warranting the grant of the reliefs sought.
The judge declared that, pursuant to the provisions of Sections 82(1) and 83(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the respondent, INEC, is under a constitutional obligation to accept and monitor the emergency convention of the applicant, NRM, to fill vacancies and correct lopsidedness in its National Executive Committee, NEC.
He also declared that the failure of the respondent, INEC, to accept and monitor the emergency convention of the applicant to fill vacancies and correct lopsidedness in its NEC amounted to a refusal or failure to discharge its constitutional and public duty, contrary to the provisions of Sections 82(1) and 83(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, and was therefore unconstitutional and unlawful.
The judge proceeded to issue an order of mandamus compelling INEC “to accept and monitor the emergency convention of the applicant to fill vacancies and correct lopsidedness in its NEC and recognise the decision or outcome of the convention.”