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The Supreme Court has struck down the local government election held on October 5, 2024, under the oversight of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, deeming it legally untenable.
Justice Jamilu Tukur, in delivering the court’s verdict, ruled that the election was fundamentally flawed, citing egregious breaches of the Electoral Act that undermined its validity.
In his pronouncement, Tukur emphasized that the Rivers State electoral body’s actions were nullified due to its failure to adhere to critical legal standards, notably continuing voter registration well after setting the election date—a misstep that rendered the process void.
The court further determined that the rushed preparations for the council polls blatantly contravened Section 150 of the Electoral Act, stripping the exercise of any lawful foundation.
In a separate ruling on Friday, February 28, 2025, the Supreme Court imposed a financial clampdown, prohibiting the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant General of the Federation, and other entities from disbursing funds to the Rivers State government until it rectifies what the justices termed a brazen disregard for judicial directives.
In a one hour, thirty-six-minute judgement delivered by Justice Emmanuel Akomaye, the five-man panel of the court unanimously dismissed the cross-appeal filed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara challenging the validity of the House of Assembly presided over by Martin Amaewhule as the Speaker.
Read also: Fubara Pledges to End Political Violence In Rivers State
In tossing out Governor Fubara’s legal challenge, the Supreme Court issued a sharp directive for Martin Amaewhule and the full roster of elected Rivers State lawmakers to get back to work without delay, restoring the legislative pulse of the region.
The justices skewered Fubara’s gambit of pitching a budget to a skeletal crew of four Assembly members, deeming it a bizarre misadventure that left twenty-eight districts voiceless—a defiant sidestep of a standing court command to resubmit the 2024 financial plan to a legitimate chamber helmed by Amaewhule.
The apex bench didn’t hold back, painting Fubara’s response to the rumored exodus of twenty-eight legislators as a bare-knuckled assault on democracy, a strongman tactic meant to choke the Assembly’s rightful duties under Amaewhule’s watch.
The court also slammed the governor’s bulldozing of the Rivers State Assembly building as a wild flex of power, teetering on lawlessness—an audacious bid to derail the legislative body’s operations with Amaewhule steering the ship.
