Tension is mounting among local government chairmen elected under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State, following the Supreme Court’s ruling on February 28, 2025, which invalidated the local government elections conducted in Rivers State.
DAILY GAZETTE recalls that in September 2024, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court had restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register for the Rivers State local government elections due to INEC’s failure to update it as required by law.
The ruling was based on Section 150 of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates that local government elections must now follow the same procedure as Area Council elections.
A similar legal challenge is currently unfolding in Enugu State.
On September 10, 2024, the opposition Action Alliance (AA) filed an Originating Summons at the Federal High Court, Enugu Judicial Division (Suit No. FHC/EN/CS/157/2024), through its lawyer, Chukwunonso Daniel Ogbe.
The party is contesting the validity of the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC)-conducted local government elections, arguing that INEC failed to publicly display the voters’ register at least 90 days before the polls, as required by Sections 19(1), 104, and 150 of the Electoral Act 2022.
Despite the pending suit, ENSIEC proceeded with the September 21, 2024, local government elections, in which the PDP won all 17 council seats.
The case, being defended by Tanimu Inuwa, SAN (for INEC) and Dr. Kingsley Udeh, the Enugu State Attorney General (for ENSIEC), is scheduled for hearing before Justice M.G. Umar on May 15, 2025.
With the Supreme Court’s recognition of Section 150 of the Electoral Act as binding for local government elections nationwide, political actors in Enugu are closely watching how the case unfolds, as it could have far-reaching implications for the legitimacy of the current local government administration in the
