Court Rules Prisoners Have Right To Vote

                      

A Federal High Court in Benin Edo State has deliver judgement that prisoner in the country have the right to participate in casting their vote in any of the up coming elections in the Country

Justice Mohammed Lima made the Ruling on a suit File against the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC and The Controller General of Nigeria Prison Service, on a suit filed by victor Emenuwe Onome Inaye Kabiru Abu,Osagie Iyekepolor,Modugu Odion  on behalf of the Nigeria Prison Inmates


They had also asked the court to determine whether the failure of INEC to make registration and voting provisions for the inmates in the custody of Nigerian prisons does not constitute an infringement on their rights as citizens of Nigeria as enshrined in section 14 (1) (2) (a) (b), section 17 (2) (a), section 24 (b), (c), section 39 of the 1999 constitution and Article 13 (1) and Article 20 (1) of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights. 

Justice Lima in his ruling said “Act by INEC to deny inmates the right to vote is unconstitutional, illegal, irregular, unlawful, null and void and of no effect whatsoever. The defendants do not have the constitutional right to deny the claimants their voting rights.

“Being an inmate is not an offence that impedes their registration and voting right under section 24 of the Electoral Act; and that the exclusion of inmates in elections conducted in Nigeria is illegal and ultra vires.”