Federal High Court Nullifies Ebonyi 2024 Local Government Elections
The Abakaliki Division of the Federal High Court on Tuesday nullified the July 2024 Local Government elections conducted by the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) for non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.
Delivering judgment, Justice H.I.O. Oshomah held that the chairmanship and councillorship polls failed to meet the mandatory requirements of the Electoral Act and were therefore unconstitutional, null, and void.
The decision effectively voids the election that produced the current 13 Local Government Chairmen and their Councillors. The court noted that this was not the first time EBSIEC had erred, recalling that the August 2022 local government elections were similarly invalidated for the same procedural infractions.
Hamilton Ogbodo, counsel to the first plaintiff, Samuel Udeogu, welcomed the ruling, stressing that the judgment reaffirmed the supremacy of the Electoral Act.
According to him: “In effect, the July 2024 local government election in Ebonyi State has been cancelled by the Federal High Court. The law is clear, and the court has done exactly what the law prescribes. The chairmen and councillors stand removed by virtue of this judgment.”
Ogbodo further noted that while the defendants retain the right of appeal within the statutory timeframe, compliance with the subsisting order of court remains imperative. He urged the relevant authorities to revert to the status quo ante bellum pending any appellate intervention.
