A Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state capital on Thursday ruled that the tenures of the 13 Council Chairmen and 171 Ward Councillors in the State would expire on August 2023.
The Court therefore nullified and voided the local government election held on July 30, 2023 in the State where new council chairmen and councillors were elected.
The Presiding Judge Fatun Riman in a suit No. FHC/AI/CS/151/2022 ruled that the conduct of the Ebonyi local government election was undemocratic and unlawful and therefore declared it null and void.
The Court also restrained the state government from appointing Caretaker Committee or anyone in whatsoever nomenclature to oversee the affairs of the 13 Council areas.
The Judge further ruled that the tenures of the incumbent council chairmen and 171 Ward Councillors would expire on August 2023.
Speaking to journalists in Abakaliki, the counsel to the plaintiff, Barr. Mudi Erhenede commended the Federal High Court for upholding justice in Ebonyi state.
Erhenede said: “It is undemocratic and unlawful to conduct an election into the local government areas or council without availing the plaintiffs with the exact law that is meant to regulate the exercise.
“There are a lot of other issues which did not compliance with the Electorial Act 2022. The Electoral Act 2022 said the procedures for conducting elections into the local government areas by State Electoral Commissions must comply with that procedure for conducting into Area Councils in the FCT.
“If you look at it, how do you access compliance without law, if you hide the law with which you want to conduct the election, is it not when you make the law public that we will know how to complied with it . How can you be making laws and hiding them?
“My position now is that my clients demanded to be availed of this law, we came under the Freedom of Information Act.