Supreme Court Nullifies Rivers State Local Government Election
The Supreme Court has invalidated the local government elections held in Rivers State on October 5, 2024, delivering a major victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a unanimous decision on Friday, a five-member panel of the apex court overturned the election results, siding with the APC’s appeal against the previous ruling of the Court of Appeal in Abuja. That ruling, delivered on November 21, 2024, had upheld the legitimacy of the polls.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Jamilu Tukur emphasized that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) failed to meet the conditions set out in Section 150(3) of the Electoral Act before conducting the election.
This ruling follows an earlier decision by Federal High Court Judge Peter Lifu, who on September 30 had halted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voter register to RSIEC. Lifu also barred the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security agencies from providing security for the election.
Despite this, a special panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, ruled on November 21 that the federal high court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the case, arguing that disputes over local government elections should not be brought before it.
However, the Supreme Court has now set aside the appellate court’s ruling, upholding the federal high court’s initial decision and officially nullifying the Rivers State local government elections.
