A Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, on Tuesday, nullified the election that produced the current 13 council chairmen and their councillors, describing the poll as unconstitutional.
Naija News reports that the court presided by Justice H.I.O. Oshoma faulted the conduct of the 2024 local government election by the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC), ruling that it violated provisions of the Electoral Act.
It, therefore, voided exercise and its outcomes, asking EBSIEC and the state government, who were the 2nd and 3rd respondents in the suit, not to conduct further local government elections in the state except in line with the provisions of the constitution and the Electoral Act.
The court, which granted most of the reliefs sought by counsel to the 1st plaintiff, Hamilton Ogbodo and the 2nd plaintiff, Chief Mudi Erhenede, granted a consequential order on the matter.
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Hamilton Ogbodo, counsel to the 1st plaintiff, Samuel Udeogu, hailed the judgment of the court.
“So, in effect, the local government election that was conducted in July 2024 in Ebonyi State is no longer there, it has been cancelled by this Federal High Court today.
“If the 2nd and 3rd defendants want to do what the law says they should do, they should revert to status quo ante bellum and then obey the court order but we are waiting for them because the time within which they can appeal this judgement is still running and when it expires, we will know what to do.
“We expect them to obey the court order. The local government chairmen has been sacked by the order of the court. The court has done exactly what the law says it should do because these things are in black and white,” Ogbodo stated.
It will be recalled that the same court had earlier nullified the August 2022 local government election in Ebonyi State, also citing disobedience and non-compliance with electoral laws.
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