Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has formally issued orders compelling three Local Government Council Chairmen, their vice chairmen and their councillors to appear before the court to justify the legality of their elections held on August 30, 2025. The directive, issued on March 3, 2026, stems from a legal challenge seeking to nullify the local government elections in parts of Rivers State, and has injected fresh uncertainty into the political landscape at the grassroots level.
Justice Stephen Jumbo presided over the matter and ordered the respondents — the councils of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area — along with their vice chairmen and councillors, to “show cause” why the court should not invalidate their election victories. The court adjourned the substantive hearing to March 17, 2026, thereby giving the affected officials and their legal counsel a period to prepare their defence ahead of the next session.
The lawsuit at the centre of the dispute was filed by three stakeholders of the People’s Democratic Party (Nigeria) (PDP) in Rivers State — Enyi Uchechukwu, Wisdom Kalio and Uche Amadi — who are challenging the internal nomination procedures that produced the winning candidates for the local government elections. According to the originating summons, the plaintiffs are seeking judicial interpretation and declarations regarding whether the candidates presented by the PDP were lawfully nominated and thereby eligible to contest the elections conducted across all 23 local government areas in the state by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
At the heart of the claimants’ argument is an internal party dispute arising from competing factions within the PDP. The plaintiffs contend that the Aaron Chukwuemeka-led executive committee of the PDP in Rivers State was illegitimately constituted because the congresses that produced it were previously nullified by another High Court judgment. They argue that because this faction lacked legal authority, its nomination of candidates for chairmanship, vice chairmanship and councillorship positions was invalid, thereby rendering the subsequent electoral victories and mandates of the elected officials questionable.
The plaintiffs are also asking the court to determine whether the party’s Ward, Local Government Area and State Elective Congresses conducted on July 27 and August 10, 2024 — events that formed the basis for the emergence of the state executive committee — should be declared null and void. They seek a declaration that the list of candidates submitted to RSIEC by the Chukwuemeka-led faction was not legally valid, and thus the resulting election outcomes for the three councils should be annulled.
In addition to claims challenging the nominations, the plaintiffs are seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, privies and affiliates from further interfering in the internal affairs of the PDP with respect to nominations and presentations of candidates for elective office. The legal action names multiple entities as defendants, including the PDP, the factional state chairman, Rivers State Government and the RSIEC itself.
Justice Jumbo granted an application for substituted service to ensure that all respondents are properly served with court processes. Instead of personal service on each individual, the court directed that the documents be served on the defendants at the PDP State Secretariat on Aba Road, Port Harcourt, which is expected to expedite notification and compliance with the court’s orders.
Local government elections in the state have been a recurrent subject of legal contention. Prior to the conduct of the August 30, 2025 polls, another suit sought to halt the elections on constitutional and procedural grounds but was dismissed by a Rivers State High Court, which ruled against the motion to stop the polls and allowed the election to proceed as scheduled. That earlier litigation was adjourned for substantive hearing, suggesting a pattern of legal friction surrounding local governance and electoral legitimacy in the state’s polity.
Political analysts note that the legal challenge reflects deeper fissures within the PDP’s internal structures in Rivers State, where competing factions have emerged since the last general elections. Parties often experience internal disagreements over candidate selection and leadership legitimacy, but when such disputes spill into public courtrooms, they can complicate governance at the grassroots, especially where judicial pronouncements could potentially unseat elected officials.
The councils affected by the court order — Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt City and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni — represent significant urban and semi-urban constituencies within Rivers State. Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City are among the most populous and economically vital local government areas, serving as centres of commerce and administration for the state. Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, with a mixture of rural and urban communities, is also crucial in state politics and local governance.
Observers highlight that an adverse court ruling could disrupt governance and development planning at local levels, affecting service delivery, budgeting and administrative continuity. Residents and local stakeholders have expressed mixed views, with some supporting judicial scrutiny as a democratic safeguard, while others fear prolonged litigation may stall infrastructure projects and community programmes.
The defendants in the present case have not issued formal public responses detailing their legal strategies, but it is expected that their counsel will argue for the recognition of the August 30, 2025 polls as validly conducted, emphasising compliance with the state’s electoral legal framework and the statutory mandate of RSIEC in overseeing council elections. Examination of nomination procedures, internal party frameworks and statutory electoral requirements will likely be central issues during the resumed hearing on March 17, 2026.
The case is now set for further hearing later in March, and parties involved have been urged to adhere to court orders while the judiciary conducts what many see as a definitive legal review of local government electoral legitimacy in Rivers State.
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