February 28 (THEWILL) – The Supreme Court, on Friday, nullified the October 5, 2024, local government election in Rivers State.
A five-member panel of justices of the apex court led by Justice Jamilu Tukur, declared the election invalid, null and void. It held that the council poll was conducted in gross violation of section 150 of the Electoral Act 2022
THEWILL recalls that a Special Panel of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, in November last year validated the council poll after it nullified the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC)for the conduct of the state local government polls.
Justice Lifu had on September 30, 2024 stopped INEC from releasing voters register to RSIEC, for the purpose of conducting the Local Government election.
However, Justice Tukur upheld the appeal by the All Progressives Congress (APC), noting the lack of evidence that voter registration was completed at least 90 days before the election or that the required notices were properly issued.
Consequently, the court declared the poll as invalid, illegal, null and void.
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