Nigerian Court Rejects Seventh Day Adventist Church’s Bid to Halt Elections, Exams on Saturdays

Justice James Kolawole Omotoso of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit brought forth by a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Nigeria, Ugochukwu Uchenwa. The suit aimed to halt the scheduling of elections and examinations on Saturdays within the country.

The court, in its ruling, deemed the claim against the Nigerian government as “frivolous, vexatious, bothersome, and unjustified.”

The Seventh Day Adventist Church, representing the plaintiff, argued that Saturday holds significant religious importance as their Sabbath day of worship. They contended that holding elections and tests on Saturdays violates their fundamental rights.

Uchenwa, on behalf of the church, petitioned the court to bar the Federal Government of Nigeria from conducting future elections and examinations on Saturdays to safeguard their right to worship without interruption.

However, Justice Omotoso, in delivering the verdict, declared that the fundamental rights of the Seventh Day Adventist Church were not infringed upon and couldn’t be curtailed by governmental policies. Additionally, the judge emphasized that the Seventh Day Adventist Church, being a minority in Nigeria, couldn’t impose its beliefs on the larger Christian community in the country.

The lawsuit emerged against the backdrop of Nigeria’s election system, where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) typically schedules elections to occur on Saturdays.