Chidi Odinkalu, a prominent lawyer and human rights activist, has raised concerns over a significant Supreme Court ruling today that led to the removal of all Local Government Chairmen in Rivers State.
Odinkalu questioned the legality of the judgment, noting that the affected officials were neither parties to the case nor formally joined in the proceedings.
In a post on social media, he remarked, “I thought courts were generally bound by basic rules of fair hearing?”
The ruling, handed down on Febuary 28, 2025, annulled the Local Government elections held on October 5, 2024, in Rivers State.
The Supreme Court’s judgment emphasized that RSIEC had conducted the election in haste, flouting the necessary legal procedures that ensure fairness in elections. Justice Jamilu Tukur, who delivered the lead judgment, stated that these violations invalidated the elections and effectively nullified the positions of the elected Local Government Chairmen.
This ruling overturned a previous judgment by the Court of Appeal, which had upheld the validity of the elections, stating that the Federal High Court did not have jurisdiction in the matter. The appeal court had also ruled that the Electoral Act did not apply to local government elections in Rivers State, a decision now reversed by the Supreme Court.
As a result of this ruling, all Local Government Chairmen in Rivers State have been removed, and the state will now be required to hold fresh elections that comply with the full provisions of the Electoral Act.
This Supreme Court decision has sparked debates about the judicial system’s role in maintaining electoral integrity and ensuring that elections are conducted fairly and lawfully in Nigeria. The ruling also raises important questions about the right to a fair hearing when parties are not properly joined in legal proceedings.
