A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt on Thursday, August 28, has dismissed a motion ex parte seeking to halt the conduct of the August 30 local government council elections in the state.
Presiding Judge, Justice Stephen Jumbo, ruled that the application filed by Port Harcourt-based legal practitioner, Williams Abayomi-Stanley, against President Bola Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and its chairman, lacked merit and was therefore struck out.
However, Justice Jumbo granted an application for substituted service to the defendants, but directed that the August 30 polls should proceed as scheduled. The matter was adjourned to September 10, 2025, for a hearing on the substantive suit.
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Speaking to our Correspondent after the ruling, counsel to the claimant, Godsent Elewa, said his client approached the court to seek interpretation of a section of the RSIEC law and the Nigerian Constitution (as amended) on whether the President has the legal authority to appoint the RSIEC chairman and members to conduct local government elections in the state.
Elewa welcomed the ruling, noting that although his ex parte application was dismissed, the court granted one of his motions and expressed readiness to proceed with the case on the next adjourned date.
