A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday made the All Progressives Congress, its Presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, and the Peoples Democratic Party, defendants in a suit opposing the use of Permanent Voter Cards and card readers for the conduct of the forthcoming general election‎s.

Justice Abdulkadir Abdu‎l-Kafarati also ordered a civil society, the Fiscal and Civil Rights Enlightenment Foundation‎, to be joined as a defendant in the suit.

With Buhari, APC, PDP and the Fiscal and Civil Rights Enlightenment Foundation now joined as parties, there are now six defendants in the suit.

The suit with number, FHC/ABJ/CS/06/2015, had the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Attorney-General of the Federation as the original defendants.

The court made the order on Wednesday joining the new defendants in the suit following their separate applications.

The plaintiff, the Society for Advancement and Protection of Public Rights‎, represented by O.J Nnadi‎ (SAN), did not oppose the applications.

The judge ordered the plaintiff to amend its originating summons ‎to reflect the names of Buhari, the APC, PDP and the Fiscal and Civil Rights Enlightenment Foundation, as the third to the sixth defendants in the suit.

The plaintiff is by the suit, seeking to restrain the INEC from using the PVC and card readers for the forthcoming polls on the grounds that they were likely to lead to the disenfranchisement of eligible voters.

The polls are scheduled to hold on March 28 and April 11, 2015.

The plaintiff argued that since INEC had not engaged in trial application of the PVC and card readers, they could not guarantee their effectiveness.

The group therefore wants the court to, among others, direct INEC to revert to the use of TVCs, which had been tested during previous elections.

APC had in its affidavit filed in support of its application seeking to be joined as a co-defendant‎, stated that it intended to join the suit and oppose the plaintiff’s suit.

The party also said it intended to challenge the plaintiff’s locus stand to institute the suit as it was not a registered voter.

The suit was adjourned till March 18 for mention.

Source: PUNCH