Court halts anti-card reader suit

A Federal High Court in Abuja,Nigeria on Friday granted an order of stay of proceedings in a suit challenging the plan by the Independent National Electoral Commission to use the electronic card reader machine for the conduct of the forthcoming general elections.
Justice A‎deniyi Ademola’s order of stay of proceedings is to subsist pending the determination of an appeal by the All Progressives Congress and some other defendants challenging a March 13, 2015 ruling of the court.
The APC had appealed against the decision of Justice Ademola abridging the time within which parties are to respond to the suit.
‎Apart from APC, other respondents in the suit ate Civil Empowerment and Rule of Law Support Initiative and the Fiscal and Civil Rights Enlightenment Foundation.
Only INEC did not appeal against the March 13 ruling of the judge.‎ But the two groups had in addition to filing their appeal against the court’s ruling, filed separate applications for stay of proceedings before Justice Ademola.
The judge had in the said ruling ordered the respondents in the suit to respond to th‎e suit within four days.
Justice Ademola held on Friday that it was  to grant the order of stay of proceedings since the APC through its counsel, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), had shown proof that it had filed its appeal and application for stay of proceedings before the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
The suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/173/2015, was originally filed by four political parties but one of them, the Action Alliance, withdrew on the grounds that it did not give instruction to be part of the legal action.
The plaintiffs in the suit are now the United Democratic Party, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria and Alliance for Democracy‎.
Meanwhile, the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, has also indicated to withdraw from the suit, saying it did not also authorise the suit in its name.