The Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt has overturned a 2015 Federal High Court judgment that nullified the election of local government chairmen elected under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The case began in 2015 when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Governor Nyesom Wike challenged the validity of the local government elections held before Wike took office.
A three-man panel led by Justice A. H. Lager-Balogun criticized the Federal High Court for failing to address jurisdictional issues and excluding the affected chairmen from the suit, despite the ruling’s direct impact on them.
The court declared the earlier judgment null and void but declined to make consequential orders regarding the 23 local government councils.
Counsel to the affected chairmen, James Kalu-Momg, stated that they would review the judgment before deciding on their next legal steps.
Meanwhile, Reginald Ukwuoma, one of the affected chairmen, insists that they should resume office, citing the vacancy at the local government secretariats following a recent Supreme Court ruling.