Supreme Court Declares 2024 Rivers LG Election Invalid

Supreme Court has declared the 2024 Rivers LG Election invalid.

Newsone Nigeria reports that the Supreme Court has declared the local government election conducted in Rivers state on October 5, 2024, and won by the All Peoples Party (APP) as invalid, illegal, null, and void.

In a judgment delivered on Friday, February 28, 2025, by Justice Jamilu Tukur, the Supreme Court held that the election was invalid because all conditions precedent billed to be implemented were jettisoned by the Rivers State Electoral Commission (RSIEC).

Justice Tukur who delivered the lead verdict held that the 2024 Rivers LG Election was conducted in gross violation of section 150 of the Electoral Act 2022.

Newsone recalls that the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court had on September 30, 2024, stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), from releasing voters register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, to conduct the October 5, 2024, local government elections in the state.

The Federal High Court had also barred the Inspector General of Police IGP and the Department of the State Services, DSS, from providing security.

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court issued the order against INEC while delivering judgment in a suit brought before him by the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The suit was argued on behalf of the APC by a team of lawyers comprising Joseph Daudu, Sebastine Hon, and Ogwu James Onoja, all SANs.

Justice Lifu held that the RSIEC was wrong in fixing the October 5, 2024 date for the conduct of the poll into the 23 local governments when all relevant laws guiding the election had not been complied with.

Among others, the judge held that the failure of the Rivers electoral body violated provisions of local government election conduct law for not publishing the mandatory 90-day notice before fixing the date.

Justice Peter Lifu also held that the update and revision of the voter register ought to have been concluded before an election date can be legally and validity fixed in law.

The judge therefore ordered INEC not to make the certified voter register available to RSIEC until the law has been fully complied with.

Justice Peter Lifu also barred RSIEC from accepting any voter register from INEC or using it for the October 5, 2024 local government poll.