A High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has mandated the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to conduct upcoming local government elections using the 2023 voters’ register.
In addition, the court ordered the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Force to ensure adequate security throughout the election process.
The ruling was made by Justice I. Igwe of High Court No. 14 in a case filed by the Action People’s Party (APP) against the RSIEC, the Rivers State Government, and the Governor of Rivers State.
Issued on September 4 and reported by Channels Television on Sunday, the judge emphasized that the defendants must adhere to Section 7, subsection 1 of the Constitution and Section 5(A) of the RSIEC Law No. 2 of 2018, which obligates them to arrange and conduct local government elections promptly, particularly after the tenure of the previous elected officials ended on June 17.
The court also highlighted the urgency of this ruling in light of a recent directive from the Federal Government requiring states without democratically elected local governments to hold elections within three months, following a Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy.
 to conduct){kind=link}