Ebonyi local government election has been nullified by a Federal High Court for violating the Electoral Act, sacking all council chairmen and councillors

Ebonyi local government election has been nullified by the Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki for breaching the provisions of the Electoral Act.

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The ruling, delivered on Tuesday by Justice H.I.O. Oshomah, declared the July 2024 council and councillorship elections that produced 13 chairmen and several councillors invalid.

In a firm and decisive judgment, Justice Oshomah held that the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) failed to conduct the elections in line with the law, rendering the exercise legally defective.

The court subsequently voided the polls and restrained both EBSIEC and the state government from conducting any further local government elections unless done strictly in compliance with the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act.

The landmark verdict followed a suit filed by Mr Samuel Udeogu and Mr Isu Amaechi, represented by counsels Hamilton Ogbodo and Chief Mudi Erhenede, respectively.

Reacting to the ruling, Ogbodo described the outcome as a powerful affirmation of democratic principles and accountability.

“So, in effect, the local government election that was conducted in July 2024 in Ebonyi State is no more; it has been cancelled by this Federal High Court today,” Ogbodo stated, urging the state government to respect the court’s order or risk contempt proceedings once the appeal window closes.

On his part, Erhenede said the judgment reinforced a previous ruling by the late Justice Fatun Riman, who had nullified the 2022 local government elections — a decision the state government had ignored.

He criticised the repeated defiance of judicial authority, insisting that “illegality cannot stand.”

“This is a question of people who don’t want to believe in or obey the rule of law,” Erhenede remarked. “

The Federal High Court had earlier nullified the 2022 local government elections, but the state, in defiance of that judgment, still went ahead to conduct and swear in chairmen in 2024.

Today’s ruling has once again affirmed that illegality cannot stand.”

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The Ebonyi local government election ruling has sparked widespread discussion across the state, with observers describing it as a bold step toward restoring electoral integrity and reinforcing the rule of law in Nigeria’s democratic space.