By Ayomide Otitoju
The Supreme Court is set to hear two appeals filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the legality of the 2024 local government elections conducted in Rivers State.
A five-member panel led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji had earlier directed all parties to file and exchange their respective briefs before February 10, 2025, paving the way for the apex court to hear the case.
The appeals challenge a judgment by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which overturned an earlier ruling by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja. Justice Lifu had issued an order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for the conduct of the election.
The Federal High Court ruling, delivered in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/987/2024 and filed by the APC, held that the necessary legal conditions for the election had not been met by RSIEC. However, the Court of Appeal later reversed this decision, ruling that the lower court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter or issue the restraining orders.
With the matter now before the Supreme Court, the final verdict will determine the validity of the 2024 Rivers local government election and could have significant implications for governance in the state.
