The Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, on Tuesday nullified the local government elections held in the state in July 2024, sacking all 13 council chairmen and 171 councillors elected during the exercise.
Presiding Judge, Justice H.I.O. Oshomah, ruled that the elections conducted by the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) failed to comply with the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
The court’s decision followed a legal challenge filed by two citizens, Samuel Udeogu and Isu Amaechi, through their lawyers, Mr. Hamilton Ogbodo and Chief Mudi Erhenede. The plaintiffs argued that the process that led to the July elections lacked transparency, fairness, and did not meet legal standards.
Justice Oshomah upheld most of the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs, declaring the entire local government election process in the state as invalid. He also issued a consequential order that no future local government elections should be conducted in Ebonyi unless they fully comply with the provisions of the law.
“So, in effect, the local government election that was conducted in July 2024 in Ebonyi State is no more. It has been cancelled by this Federal High Court today,” said Mr. Hamilton Ogbodo after the ruling.
He commended the judiciary for standing by the rule of law and called on the state government and the electoral body to respect the judgment.
Speaking after the court session, Chief Mudi Erhenede also welcomed the ruling and reminded the public that this was not the first time the state government had been found wanting on electoral matters. He recalled that a similar judgment by the late Justice Fatun Rilman had invalidated the 2022 local government elections in the state, but the government failed to comply with that order.
“This is a question of people who don’t want to believe in or obey the rule of law,” Erhenede stated, urging the court to make the certified judgment document available quickly to ensure compliance.
The court’s order is seen as a wake-up call to other states, warning against the abuse of the local government electoral process, which has long been criticized across Nigeria for being manipulated by ruling parties at the state level.
At the time of filing this report, the Ebonyi State Government and EBSIEC had yet to respond publicly to the judgment. However, the door remains open for an appeal, as the case could move to a higher court if the government chooses to challenge the ruling.
