Supreme Court nullifies Rivers LG poll

The Supreme Court has nullified the Rivers State local government elections held on October 5, 2024.

The court upheld an earlier ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja that barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for the polls.

Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Jamilu Tukur agreed with the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the election process failed to comply with the relevant laws and conditions governing local government polls.

The Supreme Court’s decision affirms the ruling of Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, who had earlier declared the election invalid due to the failure of the Rivers State electoral body to issue the mandatory 90-day notice before setting the election date, a direct violation of the Local Government Election Law.

The apex court had also set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which had overturned the trial court’s ruling on the grounds of lack of jurisdiction. The Supreme Court consequently restored the decision of the Federal High Court.