The Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki has nullified the election that produced the 13 local government chairmen and their councilors in Ebonyi State, describing the process as unconstitutional.
The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, voided the 2024 local government election conducted by the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission, EBSIEC. The court held that the commission failed to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act in organizing the polls, rendering the entire exercise invalid.
It was gathered that the court based its decision on EBSIEC’s alleged disregard for due process and the law governing the conduct of elections in Nigeria.
This latest judgment follows a similar decision by the same court in August 2022, when it nullified an earlier local government election in Ebonyi State for the same reason — unlawful procedure and violation of the Electoral Act.
The court’s decision effectively dissolves the current local government administrations in the state, raising questions about the next steps for governance at the grassroots level pending further legal or political resolution.
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