JUST-IN: Supreme Court Declares Rivers LG Elections Invalid
The Supreme Court has declared the local government elections conducted in Rivers State on October 5, 2024, as invalid, illegal, null, and void. The All Peoples Party (APP) had won the majority of the seats in the elections.
Justice Jamilu Tukur, delivering the lead verdict on Friday, held that the elections were invalid because the Rivers State Electoral Commission (RSIEC) failed to fulfill all conditions required before conducting the elections. The Court ruled that the elections violated Section 150 of the Electoral Act 2022.
The ruling follows a previous order from the Federal High Court in Abuja on September 30, 2024, which had prohibited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register to RSIEC for the October 5 elections. The Court had also barred the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Department of State Services (DSS) from providing security during the polls.
Justice Peter Lifu, who issued the ruling in the earlier case, noted that RSIEC was wrong in scheduling the elections without adhering to the legal requirements. Specifically, the court pointed out that the 90-day notice for the election was not published, and the voter register had not been updated or revised as required by law.
The Supreme Court’s decision invalidates the elections, emphasizing that RSIEC violated the provisions for conducting local government elections. The ruling effectively nullifies the results of the October 5 polls in Rivers State, with all related actions deemed unlawful.
