Supreme Court Holds Judgment On APC’s Appeal Over Rivers LG Elections

The Supreme Court has reserved judgment on an appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeking to nullify the local government elections held in Rivers State on October 5, 2024.

A five-member panel, led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, reserved the ruling after all parties presented their final arguments.

APC, represented by its lawyer J.B. Daudu (SAN), urged the court to overturn the November 21, 2024, ruling of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the election results. 

Meanwhile, Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s lawyer, Yusuf Ali (SAN), and Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) counsel, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), called for the appeal’s dismissal.

The Court of Appeal had earlier set aside a Federal High Court ruling that barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voter register to RSIEC for the election. 

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The appellate court ruled that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction over Rivers State’s LG elections, as Section 28 of the Electoral Act applies only to federal, governorship, and FCT area council elections.

The dispute began when Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court stopped the polls, ruling that RSIEC failed to comply with electoral laws, including the mandatory 90-day notice before the election. 

He also restricted INEC from providing the voter register until legal requirements were met.

With the Supreme Court now set to decide, the fate of the Rivers LG elections hangs in the balance.