The Supreme Court is set to take action on two appeals filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the validity of the 2024 Local Government (LG) elections in Rivers State.
The party is seeking to overturn the polls, arguing that they were conducted without meeting necessary legal conditions.
The legal battle began when the APC approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to stop the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) from conducting the elections. Justice Peter Lifu, who presided over the case, ruled in favour of the APC and issued an order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register to RSIEC. The judge stated that the conditions for conducting a valid local government election were not met.
However, the Court of Appeal in Abuja later overturned this ruling. The appellate court declared that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case, thereby making way for the elections to proceed. The elections were won majorly by candidates of the All People’s Party (APP), tactfully backed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
This decision of the Appeal Court did not sit well with the APC, prompting the party to take the matter to the Supreme Court.
