The Supreme Court has declared the local government election conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission on October 5, 2024, invalid.
Delivering the judgment on Friday, Justice Jamilu Tukur ruled that the election violated the Electoral Act. He stated that RSIEC failed to follow proper procedures and continued voter registration even after announcing the election date, which went against Section 150 of the Electoral Act.
“The action of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission is declared void for lack of substantial compliance with the Electoral Act and guidelines,” Justice Tukur said.
The court’s decision means that all 23 local government chairmen who emerged from the election, most of whom were candidates of the All Peoples Party (APP), have been sacked.
The ruling follows an earlier judgment by a Federal High Court in Abuja on September 30, 2024, which stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voter register to RSIEC for the election. Justice Peter Lifu, who gave the ruling, also barred the Inspector General of Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) from providing security for the poll.
Justice Lifu faulted RSIEC for setting the October 5 election date without meeting legal requirements. He emphasized that the electoral body failed to give the mandatory 90-day notice before the poll and did not complete the voter register update before announcing the election date.
“RSIEC was wrong in fixing the October 5 date for the conduct of the poll into the 23 local governments when all relevant laws guiding the election had not been complied with,” Justice Lifu stated.
With the Supreme Court’s ruling, the sacked local government chairmen have been ordered to vacate their offices immediately.
