An Abuja High Court, under the leadership of Justice M. M. Adamu, has mandated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to acknowledge Christopher Imumolen as the National Chairman of the Accord Party.
This order is in effect until the court hears and resolves a case brought forth by Imumolen and twelve additional party officials against Maxwell Mgbudem and thirteen others.
In a ruling on a motion ex parte presented by Christopher Okonkwo, the legal representative for the applicants, the court instructed the defendants to cease presenting themselves as the national executive committee of the Accord Party until the main case is adjudicated.
Furthermore, the court has prohibited the defendants from organizing any state or local government congresses for the Accord Party.
The defendants named in the lawsuit include Mgbudem, INEC, the Inspector General of Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and ten others.
The hearing is scheduled for September 2, 2024.
Meanwhile, INEC has dismissed allegations that its officials are involved in selling Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the September 21 gubernatorial election in Edo State.
INEC described the claims as baseless and challenged the civic group Transparency for Electoral Systems Advocacy (TESA) to provide substantial evidence supporting their accusation of PVC sales in Edo.
Responding to the allegations, Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, emphasized that the commission only issues PVCs free of charge to registered voters, without any sale.
Oyekanmi pointed out that such accusations often arise from partisan groups whenever an off-cycle governorship or major election is approaching.
He noted that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), it is nearly impossible for any voter to use someone else’s PVC to cast a vote.
Oyekanmi further clarified that uncollected PVCs cannot be used by anyone during the Edo State Governorship Election, warning that anyone who attempts to do so will be arrested and handed over to law enforcement on Election Day.
He explained that PVC collection only began in the state’s 192 wards on Thursday, August 22, and concluded on Monday, August 26.
PVC collection will move to INEC’s 18 Local Government Offices from August 28 to September 8, 2024.