Sabbath: Court Dismiss Suit Seeking To Stop Conduct Of Exams, Elections On Saturday

The Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a suit challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) scheduling of elections on Saturdays.

The suit, deemed frivolous by the court, was initiated by Mr. Ugochukwu Uchenwa, an elder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, who argued that conducting elections and examinations on Saturdays infringes upon the religious rights of the church’s members.

Naija News reports that Uchenwa’s plea sought to alter the traditional scheduling of elections and examinations, asserting that such activities on Saturdays compromise the freedom of worship and the constitutional rights of Seventh-day Adventists.

The suit named multiple defendants, including the President of Nigeria, the Attorney-General of the Federation, INEC, and several educational examination bodies such as JAMB, NECO, WAEC, and the National Business and Technical Examination Board.

Justice James Omotosho presided over the case, ultimately finding that Mr. Uchenwa failed to present a compelling reason for the court to grant his requested reliefs. In his judgement, Justice Omotosho highlighted the plaintiff’s inability to establish a reasonable cause of action, thereby rendering the lawsuit baseless.

The suit had argued that scheduling elections on Saturdays, a day the Seventh-day Adventist Church observes as the Sabbath, directly violated members’ rights to freedom of worship, conscience, and the free practice of their faith.

Furthermore, Mr. Uchenwa contended that this scheduling impediment also infringed upon the church members’ right to participate in governance and access education freely.

Among the remedies sought were a reevaluation of election and examination dates to accommodate the religious observances of Seventh-day Adventists or, alternatively, to provide members with alternative days to exercise their civic and educational rights.

However, the court found these requests unmeritorious, maintaining the status quo of holding elections and public examinations on Saturdays.