The Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has nullified the election of 13 local government chairmen and 171 councillors, declaring the process unconstitutional.
The election, conducted by the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) in July 2024, was ruled invalid for failing to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Hilary Oshomah held that the conduct of the polls did not conform to constitutional and legal requirements.
He subsequently annulled the election and directed EBSIEC and the state government—listed as the second and third respondents—to conduct fresh elections in line with the law.
Reactions from Plaintiffs
Counsel to the first plaintiff, Mr. Hamilton Ogbodo (representing Mr. Samuel Udeogu), expressed satisfaction with the decision.
“The local government election conducted in July 2024 is no longer valid; it has been cancelled by the court.
If the defendants truly want to follow the law, they should revert to the status quo and obey the court order.”
Ogbodo noted that the defendants still have time to appeal the judgment but emphasized that compliance with the court ruling is expected.
Similarly, counsel to the second plaintiff, Mr. Mudi Erhenede (representing Isu Amaechi), praised the judgment.
“I commend Justice Oshomah’s ruling on the 2024 local government and councillorship elections and urge the court to make the judgment available as soon as possible,” he said.
