Sokoto, Adamawa and five other States have applied for the discontinuance of the suit they filed on February 28 before the Supreme Court.
The seven States’ decision to discontinue with the case was communicated to the apex court via a notice of discontinuance filed by one of their lawyers, Mike Ozekhome (SAN).
The notice, dated March 3 reads: “Take notice that the plaintiffs doth hereby, wholly discontinue this suit against the defendant herein.’
The plaintiffs were silent on the reason for their decision to discontinue with the case.
Other States, involved in the suit are Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Taraba.
The suit had the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) as the sole defendant
The States, in the suit , marked: SC/CV/354/2023 filed in the names of their Attorneys General, wanted the apex court to among others, direct “a wholistic review of all results so far announced by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which were carried out other than through the manner prescribed by the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and the INEC Manual for Election Officials.”
They had prayed the court to declare “that the Federal Government of Nigeria the Independent National Electoral Commission was bound to electronically transmit or transfer Polling Unit Results in Form EC8A using BVAS by uploading Scanned Copy of the said Unit Result to the Independent National Electoral Commission Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in the course of the General Elections held on the 25th of February, 2023 throughout the Federation in compliance with the provision of Sections 25; 47(2); 60 (1), (2), (4) & (5); 62; 64(4)(a) & (b); 70; and 148 of the Electoral Act, 2022, governing the 2023 nationwide general elections, particularly paragraphs 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and paragraphs 2.8.4; 2.9.0; and 2.9.1 of the INEC Manual for Election Officials, 2023, for the conduct of the Presidential Election.
They had prayed the court to declare “that the Federal Government of Nigeria the Independent National Electoral Commission was bound to electronically transmit or transfer Polling Unit Results in Form EC8A using BVAS by uploading Scanned Copy of the said Unit Result to the Independent National Electoral Commission Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in the course of the General Elections held on the 25th of February, 2023 throughout the Federation in compliance with the provision of Sections 25; 47(2); 60 (1), (2), (4) & (5); 62; 64(4)(a) & (b); 70; and 148 of the Electoral Act, 2022, governing the 2023 nationwide general elections, particularly paragraphs 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and paragraphs 2.8.4; 2.9.0; and 2.9.1 of the INEC Manual for Election Officials, 2023, for the conduct of the Presidential Election.
