A High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has directed the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to use the 2023 voters’ register for the upcoming local government elections.
The court also instructed the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to provide adequate security during the election.
Justice I. Igwe of High Court No. 14 issued these orders in a case brought by the Action People’s Party (APP) against the Rivers State Electoral Commission, the Rivers State Government, and the Governor of Rivers State.
The ruling, made on September 4 and reported by Channels Television on Sunday, emphasized that the defendants are obligated under Section 7, subsection 1 of the Constitution and Section 5 (A) of the RSIEC Law No. 2 of 2018 to organize the local government elections promptly, following the expiration of the previous officials’ tenure on June 17.
The court also referenced the Federal Government’s recent directive requiring states without democratically elected local governments to hold elections within three months, in line with a Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy.
The court urged all necessary preparations to be made for the elections scheduled on October 5, 2024, as announced by RSIEC.