Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
The Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, on Tuesday, nullified the local government chairmanship and councillorship elections conducted in July 2024, which produced the current council chairmen and councillors in the state.
The presiding judge, Justice Hillary Oshomah, held that the elections did not comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, and therefore stood invalid.
Consequently, the court voided and cancelled the July 2024 local government elections.
Justice Oshomah further directed the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) and the state government—listed as the 2nd and 3rd respondents—not to conduct further local government elections in the state except strictly in line with constitutional and electoral provisions.
The court granted most of the reliefs sought by counsels to the first and second plaintiffs, Hamilton Ogbodo and Mudi Erhenede, respectively, and issued consequential orders on the matter.
Speaking with journalists after the verdict, counsel to the first plaintiff, Samuel Udeogu, Mr. Ogbodo, hailed the judgment, describing it as a victory for the rule of law.
“So, in effect, the local government election conducted in July 2024 in Ebonyi State is no longer valid—it has been cancelled by the Federal High Court today,” he said.
“If the 2nd and 3rd defendants want to do what the law says, they should revert to the status quo ante bellum and obey the court order. We are waiting for them, as the time within which they can appeal the judgment is still running. Once it expires, we will know what next to do.
“We expect them to obey the court order. The local government chairmen have been sacked by the order of the court. The court has done exactly what the law prescribes.”
On his part, counsel to the second plaintiff, Mr. Mudi Erhenede, recalled that the Federal High Court, presided over by the late Justice Fatun Riman, had earlier nullified the 2022 local government elections in Ebonyi State.
He noted that despite that ruling, the state government went ahead to swear in persons as council chairmen and councillors across the 13 local government areas and 171 wards in the state.
Erhenede added that the appeal filed by the state government and EBSIEC against the 2022 judgment was dismissed, thereby upholding Justice Riman’s ruling.
“This is simply a case of people who refuse to believe in or obey the rule of law,” Erhenede stated.
“The Federal High Court nullified the 2022 local government elections, yet the state government, in defiance, proceeded to swear in people as council chairmen. Today’s judgment has once again reaffirmed that impunity has no place in our democracy.”
He commended Justice Oshomah’s ruling on the 2024 local government elections and urged the court to make the certified true copy of the judgment available as soon as possible.
