Multiple Registration: Ngige Loses Case Against Obiano

Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, at the November 16, 2013 governorship election in Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige, has lost his alleged ‘triple voters’ registration’ case against Willie Obiano of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP.

The suit was struck out on Monday by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

Ngige’s party had gone to court seeking an order to compel the Inspector General of Police, MD Abubakar, to prosecute the governor-elect, Obiano, for allegedly being in possession of more than one INEC voters’ card.

The APC told the court that it obtained three separate voters’ cards issued to voters by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, prior to the poll in Anambra.

The party further claimed that Obiano was issued a Voter Registration Number, VIN 90F5B88377091121 at 2:18p.m. on August 21, 2013; another VIN 90F5B15E7D378200332 at 10:25a.m. on September 3, 2013 and third one with VIN 90F5B12B01296204172, with a serial number 461. The last voters’ card, according to APC, was issued to Obiano at “Ifako/Soluyi Ward 2, Polling Unit 060-Junction of Ramot Oluwakemi Street, Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State.”

Giving his judgement on the matter, Justice Gabriel Kolawole noted that APC sought the court through a motion ex-parte without any supporting affidavit to back up its claims.

He stated further that Obiano was not joined in the suit filed by APC and cannot therefore grant the party’s application as prayed.

In his words, Justice Kolawole ruled that, “granting such prayer against a party who is not before me cannot be in tandem with the letters and spirit of the law. The motion ex-parte is hereby refused and the case accordingly struck out.”

Multiple registration is an offence according to section 12(2) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), and section 4 and 23 of the Police Act, Cap P19 LFN, 2004.