From Nabob Ogbonna, Abakaliki
A federal high court sitting in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital on Tuesday has sacked the 13 local government chairmen and 171 ward councilors in the state.
It could be recall that the sacked council chairmen and councilors in the state had their elections in July last year.
The Justice H.I.O. Oshomah who ruled over the matter stated that the July 2024 local government and councilorship elections in the state were not in conformity with the provisions of the electoral act.
The Ebonyi state independent Electoral commission EBSIEC and the state government appeared as the second and third respondents in the matter.
The court in it’s ruling further directed the second and the third respondents not to conduct further any election in the state except it meet the provision of the electoral act.
The court which granted most of the reliefs sort by counsels to the 1st plaintiff, Hamilton Ogbodo and 2nd plaintiff, Chief Mudi Erhenede granted consequential order on the matter.
Responding to the ruling, Mr. Ogbodo, counsel to 1st plaintiff, Samuel Udeogu hailed the judgement.
“So, in effect, the local government election that was conducted in July 2024 in Ebonyi State, is no more there it has been cancelled by this federal high court today.
“If the 2nd and 3rd defendants want to do what the law says they should do that, they should recert to status quo ante bellum and then obey the court order.
“We are waiting for them if they go contrary, they still have time to appeal this judgement.
“But we expect them to obey the court order. The local government chairmen has been sacked by the order of the court. The court has done exactly what the law says it should do because these things are in black and white”,he said.
On his part, Mudi Erhenede, counsel to Isu Amaechi who is 2nd plaintiff in the matter said the federal high court sitting in Abakaliki presided by late Justice Fatun Rilman had nullified the 2022 local government and councilorship elections which the state government didn’t obey but went ahead and swore -in people as elected council chairmen and councilors across the 13 Local Government and 171 wards in the state.
He noted that the 2nd and 3rd defendants filed appeal against the Justice Fatun Rilman which they lost following the upholding of the Justice Fatun Rilman federal high court judgement.
“This is a question of people who don’t want to believe in rule of law and obey the rule of law.
“The federal high court nullified the local government election conducted in 2022 and the state in defiant to that judgement, proceeded to swear-in some persons as local government chairmen”, he said.
He hailed the Justice Oshomah court ruling of Tuesday on the 2024 local government and councilorship elections in the state and urged the court to make available the judgment within possible time. END//
