By our reporter
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has dismissed a legal action seeking to stop the conduct of the August 30 local government elections in Rivers State. The suit, filed by a Port Harcourt-based legal practitioner, Williams Abayomi Stanley, was struck out on the grounds that it lacked merit.
The case, which named President Bola Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), and the Chairman of RSIEC as respondents, aimed to challenge the legality of the planned council elections.
In his motion, the applicant sought an interim injunction to restrain RSIEC from going ahead with the elections. He also asked the court to interpret certain constitutional provisions, questioning whether the President has the legal authority to appoint members and the chairman of a state electoral body.
However, in a ruling delivered by Justice Stephen Jumbo, the court held that the application for an interim injunction lacked sufficient grounds to warrant halting a democratic process. The judge emphasized that the plaintiff failed to present compelling evidence to justify the suspension of an already scheduled election.
Justice Jumbo further ruled that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission is constitutionally empowered to organize local government elections in the state and that the processes set in motion for the August 30 polls should proceed without hindrance.
Although the motion to stop the election was dismissed, the court granted the applicant leave to serve court processes on the defendants through substituted means—allowing delivery via alternate channels, such as public notices or newspaper publications—since direct service had proven difficult.
The case was adjourned to September 10, 2025, for the hearing of the substantive suit.
The ruling clears the path for RSIEC to conduct the elections as scheduled, amid ongoing political tensions and legal debates surrounding local government administration in the state.
This development is seen as a major victory for the Rivers State government, which has faced recent political pushback over local governance issues, particularly regarding tenure elongation and caretaker appointments in local councils.
