Poll Materials: Court Permanently Stops INEC, Oluomo-Led Committee deal

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos Friday perpetually restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from engaging the Lagos State Parks Management Committee, led by Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya, a.k.a. MC Oluomo, for distributing 2023 election materials and personnel. Justice Chukwuejekwu Aneke gave the order while delivering judgment in suit FHC/L/CS/271/2023 filed by three political parties and their gubernatorial candidates in Lagos State.

The plaintiffs/applicants are the Labour Party (LP), its flag bearer Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), its standard bearer Funsho Doherty; the Boot Party and its guber candidate Wale Olumo, while INEC is the defendant/respondent. The plaintiffs/applicants had sought to stop an INEC/Lagos State Parks Management Committee collaboration on the ground among others, that it violated Sections 26 and 27 of the Electoral Act 2022.

Others included that the deal would allegedly “give room for election sabotage, manipulation, and rigging in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC).” The plaintiff sought five reliefs. INEC neither filed a response to the suit, nor was represented by a lawyer, despite being served notice of the suit. On February 20, Justice Aneke granted an interim order restraining INEC from sealing the deal. In his judgment Friday, the judge granted relief five of the plaintiffs.

Justice Aneke held: “For avoidance of doubt the said relief 5 is hereby set out as follows: “AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining INEC and/or their privies or any persons acting under their directions from contracting, partnering or appointing Musiliu Akinsanya popularly known as MC Oluomo, Lagos State Parks Management Committee or any of its members and/or drivers by INEC to distribute 2023 election materials and personnels in Lagos State.”