On Tuesday, the Federal High Court in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, dismissed the state's 13 council chairmen together with their 171 ward council members.  

The court, presided over by Justice H.I.O. Oshomah, ruled that the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission's (EBSIEC) elections did not adhere to the legal and constitutional requirements established by the Electoral Act.  

The plaintiffs, Mr. Hamilton Ogbodo and Chief Mudi Erhenede, who were representing Samuel Udeogu and Isu Amaechi, respectively, were granted the majority of the reliefs requested by their attorneys by the court.  

Additionally, it issued a subsequent judgment mandating that the state refrain from holding local government elections in the future unless completely compliant with the Electoral Act and the Nigerian Constitution.

“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. Ogbodo, praising the court for upholding the rule of law.

He added that the window for appeal was still open and cautioned the state government and EBSIEC to return to the status quo and follow the ruling.  

Chief Erhenede echoed similar views when he emphasized the state administration's persistent disrespect for court decisions, pointing out that the state government had disobeyed a prior decision made by the late Justice Fatun Rilman that had also declared the 2022 local government elections to be void.

“This is a question of people who don’t want to believe in or obey the rule of law,” Erhenede stated.

In order to guarantee its execution, he encouraged the court to release the judgment document as soon as possible.

Source