Federal High Court nullifies Ebonyi LG election

Few days to the swearing in of newly elected local council chairmen in Ebonyi State, a Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, yesterday, nullified the local council election, saying the election did not comply with the Electoral Act 2022.

Justice Fatun Riman, in a suit No. FHC/AI/CS/151/2022, ruled that the Ebonyi local council election that held in the 13 local councils of the state on July 30, 2022, by the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC), was undemocratic, unlawful and, therefore, null and void.

Briefing journalists in Abakaliki, the counsel to the plaintiff, Mudi Erhenedi, described the ruling as victory to democracy, praising the judiciary for upholding justice in Ebonyi.

He said: “It is undemocratic and unlawful to conduct an election into the local councils without availing the plaintiffs with the exact law that is meant to regulate the exercise.

“There are other issues associated with non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022. The act laid out the procedures for conducting elections into the local councils, which state commissioners must comply with.”