Court docket declares Ebonyi LG election swept by APC ‘null and void’

The Abakaliki Division of the Federal Excessive Court docket Thursday nullified the July 30 Native Authorities Space (LGA) Elections in Ebonyi.

The train, which was swept by the All Progressive Social gathering (APC), was carried out by the Ebonyi State Unbiased Electoral Fee (EBSIEC).

It came about within the 13 LGAs and 171 wards within the state.

Nonetheless, some members of the Inter-Social gathering Advisory Council (IPAC) boycotted the polls as a result of N1 million and N200,000 nomination charges for the chairmanship and councillorship seats, respectively.

The group, thereafter, approached the court docket in a swimsuit No. FHC/AI/CS/151/2022 to nullify the end result of the polls.

In a judgment, Justice Fatun Riman, declared the elections “null and void.”

Mr Riman described the train as undemocratic and illegal.

Talking with journalists after the judgment, the Counsel for the petitioner, Mudi Erhenedi, hailed the court docket for its “sound judgment”.

Mr Erhenedi stated that it was illegal to conduct the LGA elections “with out availing the petitioner with the precise legal guidelines meant to manage the train.”

He stated: “There are numerous different points that aren’t in compliance with the Electoral Act 2022 as Amended.

“The Act says, ‘the procedures for conducting elections into the native authorities areas by state electoral commissions should adjust to that process for the election’.

“My place now could be that my shoppers demanded to be availed with this legislation.

“We wrote to EBSIEC, the Home of Meeting and INEC however they refused to supply us with the extant legislation.

“The legislation can information any of the contestants to know when going inside or towards it throughout such an election,” Mr Erhenedi stated.

The defence counsel, Roy Nweze, couldn’t be reached for his response to the judgement.

In the meantime, in a response to the judgment, Governor David Umahi urged the law-abiding residents of the state to stay calm and go about their companies peacefully.

The response is contained in an announcement issued by his Particular Assistant on Media and Technique, Chooks Oko, and made out there to reporters in Abakaliki.

“Our legal professionals will research the judgement to find out one of the simplest ways ahead.

“My perception within the judiciary because the bastion of justice and fairness stays unshaken,” the assertion added. 

(NAN)