By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Wednesday gave Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) seven days to show cause why the court should not grant a prayer by Raheem Rasaki Alani, an All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmanship aspirant in July 24 council polls.
Raheem Rasaki Alani is seeking to restrain Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from making available the voters register for Lagos State 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The judge made the order in his ruling following Alani’s June 24 ex parte motion moved and argued through his counsel Tope Alabi, seeking four reliefs.
Alani, a resident of and registered voter in Agege LGA, is the Plaintiff/Applicant while INEC and LASIEC are the 1st and 2nd defendants/respondents in the suit marked FHC/L/CS/677/2021.
He argued in his affidavit of urgency that LASIEC ought to conduct the election in accordance with the “constitutionally-recognised” LGAs in Lagos, and not based on the 57 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) created by the State, which it intends to apply.
“I know that the 57 LCDAs wherein the 2nd defendant intends to conduct elections are a product of the unconstitutional Balkanisation of the 20 constitutionally-recognised LGAs in Lagos State,” he averred.
He argued that the Balkanisation means that he and many others had been “unconstitutionally excluded from Agege LGA and put within the unconstitutionally created Orile-Agege LCDA,” adding that he would be denied the right to vote or be voted for, as well as be “robbed of voting to elect the chairman of Agege LGA or to be elected” its chairman.”
Alani prayed the court for an order restraining INEC from “giving, submitting and/or making” the register available to LASIEC for its use in the Chairmanship and Councillorship elections based on the 57 LGAs and LCDAs “or any other number of LGAs in excess of the 20 LGAs pending the determination of the Motion on Notice.”
He also prayed for an order restraining INEC from giving LASIEC any logistical support for the elections based on the 57 LGAs and LCDAs.
Furthermore, he sought an order stopping LASIEC from preparing for the polls based on the 57 LCDAs.
In a bench ruling, Justice Aneke said: “Being an election matter and the process is ongoing, I shall give the defendants/respondents seven days within which they shall show cause why the order should not be made against them.
“This case is adjourned till Wednesday, July 14, 2021. All parties to be served.”