Elections
Wike Vs Fubara Fight Gets New Twist As Court Stops Rivers LG Elections
By Benjamin Abioye
A Federal High Court in Abuja has stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from giving the voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for the local government (LG) elections scheduled for October 5, 2024.
The court also ordered the Inspector General of Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) not to provide security for the election.
Justice Peter Lifu made this ruling on Monday after a lawsuit was filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC). The legal team for the APC, which included Senior Advocates of Nigeria Joseph Daudu, Sebastine Hon, and Ogwu James Onoja, presented their arguments in court.
In his ruling that stopped the Rivers LG elections, Justice Lifu stated that the RSIEC acted too quickly by setting the election date of October 5 without following the necessary legal procedures. The court pointed out that the Rivers State electoral body did not comply with local government election laws, particularly the rule that requires a 90-day notice before an election.
Furthermore, Justice Lifu stressed that the updating and revision of the voters’ register must be completed before a valid election date can be set. Therefore, the court ordered INEC not to provide the certified voters’ register to RSIEC until all legal requirements are satisfied.
The RSIEC was also instructed not to accept or use any voters’ register from INEC for the upcoming local government elections on October 5.
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