The Supreme Court has declared the October 5, 2024, local government election conducted in Rivers State as invalid, illegal, null, and void.
Delivering the lead judgment on Friday, Justice Jamilu Tukur ruled that the election, which was won by the All People’s Party (APP), was conducted in gross violation of Section 150 of the Electoral Act 2022.
The court found that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) failed to meet all legal conditions required for the conduct of the poll.
The controversy surrounding the election began when the Federal High Court in Abuja, on September 30, 2024, issued an order stopping the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register to RSIEC for the election.
In the ruling, Justice Peter Lifu held that RSIEC wrongly scheduled the election for October 5 without adhering to statutory requirements. The judge also ruled that:
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Department of State Services (DSS) were barred from providing security for the election.
The mandatory 90-day notice for the election was not published, violating local government election laws.
The update and revision of the voters’ register were incomplete, making the election legally invalid.
As a result, Justice Lifu ordered INEC to withhold the certified voter register from RSIEC until all legal provisions were met. RSIEC was also barred from accepting or using any voter register from INEC for the now-invalidated election.
The Supreme Court’s ruling reinforces the importance of due process in electoral procedures and underscores the judiciary’s role in ensuring free, fair, and legally compliant elections.
With the election voided, the fate of local governance in Rivers State now remains uncertain as stakeholders await the next steps from the state government and electoral bodies.