A Federal High Court in Abakaliki has nullified the election of all 13 local government chairmen and 171 councilors in Ebonyi State.
Justice H.I.O. Oshomah ruled that the 2024 polls violated constitutional and electoral standards.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has nullified the election of the 13 local government chairmen and 171 councilors who emerged from the 2024 council polls.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice H.I.O. Oshomah held that the elections conducted by the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) failed to comply with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act. The court ruled that the poll did not meet acceptable legal and democratic standards and therefore could not stand.
The suit was filed by two plaintiffs, Samuel Udeogu and Isu Amaechi, through their counsels, Hamilton Ogbodo and Chief Mudi Erhenede. In his decision, Justice Oshomah granted most of the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs and issued a consequential order stopping the conduct of any future local government election in the state unless it fully aligns with constitutional provisions and the Electoral Act.
Speaking after the ruling, Ogbodo described the judgment as a victory for democracy, saying the court had reaffirmed the supremacy of the law over political manipulation. “The local government election conducted in July 2024 in Ebonyi State has been cancelled by this Federal High Court today,” he stated. He called on the state government and the electoral body to respect the decision, noting that they still had the right to appeal.
Erhenede, another counsel in the case, recalled that the state government had previously ignored a similar court ruling that nullified the 2022 council elections. He said the latest judgment was a reminder that no government should act above the law.
The court’s decision is expected to reshape local governance in Ebonyi State, with political observers now watching to see whether the government will comply with the ruling or challenge it at a higher court.
