A Federal High Court in Abakaliki has sacked all 13 local government chairmen in Ebonyi State, declaring the council and councillorship elections held in July 2024 null and void.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Hillary Oshomah ruled that the elections, conducted by the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC), failed to comply with the Electoral Act and constitutional guidelines, rendering the entire process unlawful.
The judge barred the state government and EBSIEC from conducting any further local government polls unless done strictly in accordance with the law.
The suit was filed by two plaintiffs; Samuel Udeogu and Isu Amaechi; represented by counsels Hamilton Ogbodo and Mudi Erhenede respectively.
The court also granted most of the reliefs sought and issued consequential orders invalidating the tenure of the affected council officials.
Reacting to the verdict, Ogbodo said the ruling had restored legality to grassroots governance in the state.
“The July 2024 local government elections in Ebonyi no longer stand. The court has cancelled them because they were conducted in breach of the Electoral Act,” he told reporters after the ruling.
He warned that the government must revert to the status quo and avoid undermining the judgment.
“If they fail to act within the appeal window, we’ll know what steps to take,” Ogbodo added.
On his part, Erhenede recalled that a similar ruling in 2022 by the late Justice Fatun Riman had also nullified local council elections in the state, but was ignored by the authorities who proceeded to swear in officials regardless.
“That pattern of disregard for the rule of law must stop. This ruling reinforces the earlier judgment and strengthens the legal foundation for local government autonomy in Ebonyi,” he said.
Erhenede called on the court to expedite the release of the judgment documents to facilitate compliance and monitoring.
The latest ruling marks the second time in three years that the Federal High Court in Abakaliki has nullified local government elections in Ebonyi over electoral breaches.
