BY ANTHONY OCHELA, ABUJA
The Rivers State Local Government election held on October 5, 2024 was on Friday nullified by the Supreme Court.
The court made the decision by upholding an appeal brought before it by the All Progressives Congress.
A five-member panel led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, vacated the November 21, 2024, judgement of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, which validated the elections.
The court held that there was no evidence to establish that the condition of precedents stipulated by section 150(3) of the Electoral Act, 2010, was met before the election was conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commissioners, RSIEC.
It restored an earlier verdict of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which barred the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from releasing voters’ register to the RSIEC for the conduct of the LG polls.
A special panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi had held that the high court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain suit against the Rivers State local government elections.
The appellate court also faulted the trial court for preventing security agencies from providing service during the elections.
According to the court, section 28 of the Electoral Act does not cover elections conducted by states but only federal elections, governorship and Area Council Elections in the Federal Capital Territory.
It held that Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, who had on the strength of a suit that was filed by the APC, stopped the conduct of the Rivers State LG elections, acted outside his jurisdiction.
