By EDITOR
The Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, on Tuesday nullified the controversial local government and councilorship elections held in July 2024.
The verdict has effectively sacked all serving local government chairmen and councilors across the 13 Local Government Areas and 171 wards in the state.
Presided over by Justice H.I.O. Oshomah, the court declared that the elections conducted by the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) failed to meet the constitutional and legal standards set by the Electoral Act.
The court granted the majority of reliefs sought by counsels to the plaintiffs, Mr. Hamilton Ogbodo and Chief Mudi Erhenede, representing Samuel Udeogu and Isu Amaechi respectively.
It also issued a consequential order, directing that no future local government elections be conducted in the state unless strictly in line with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act.
“So, in effect, the local government election that was conducted in July 2024 in Ebonyi State is no more. It has been cancelled by this Federal High Court today,” said Mr. Ogbodo, praising the court for upholding the rule of law.
He further warned the state government and EBSIEC to revert to the legal status quo and obey the judgment, noting that the window for appeal was still open.
Echoing similar sentiments, Chief Erhenede highlighted the state government’s repeated defiance of court orders, recalling that a previous ruling by the late Justice Fatun Rilman had also nullified the 2022 local government elections, an order the state government disregarded.
"This is a question of people who don’t want to believe in or obey the rule of law," Erhenede stated.
He urged the court to make the judgment document available promptly to ensure its enforcement.
The judgment is expected to have far-reaching implications for governance and political administration in Ebonyi State, as legal and political stakeholders await the government’s next move either compliance or appeal.
