By Innocent Anaba

LAGOS—A Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stalwart, Mr. Waliu Taiwo, has asked a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to stop the use of electronic card readers in the March 28 and April 11 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The plaintiff is also praying the court to restrain INEC from using the card readers during the polls.

Taiwo, who is PDP’s candidate for the Ogun West senatorial district, is contending that INEC’s guidelines which stipulate the use of card readers was unconstitutional and should be nullified.

He particularly faulted section 12 (c) of the guidelines which states that “in the event that the PVC fails to be read by the Card Reader, the APO (assistant presiding officer)…shall file a report of the incident; inform the voter of the problem and that he/she cannot be accredited; and politely request the voter to leave the polling zone.”

The plaintiff is contending that this is “the first time anywhere in the world where a device such as the Card Reader as proposed to be used by INEC would be used to the effect that it supercedes the content of the register of voters properly compiled by the electoral body.”

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Mohammed Adoke, SAN, is the second defendant in the suit.