Attempt To Stop Enugu LG Elections Fails As Court Rules In Favor Of Polls

Attempt To Stop Enugu LG Elections Fails As Court Rules In Favor Of Polls

A Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja, on Friday, dismissed an application seeking to halt the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) from holding local government elections scheduled for Saturday…..CONTINUE READING 

In his ruling, Justice Peter Lifu rejected the oral application made by Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, counsel for the All Progressives Congress (APC), stating that stopping the election would not serve the interest of justice. Justice Lifu further explained that there was insufficient evidence regarding the service of hearing notices to the defendants for the day’s proceedings.

The judge emphasized that under Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, halting the elections would violate the principle of fair hearing.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the APC had filed an originating summons (FHC/ABJ/CS/1325/2024) against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), ENSIEC, and Nwanfor Alphonsus Onyeachonam, listed as the 1st to 3rd defendants.

In the suit, which was dated September 5 and filed on September 6, the APC sought nine specific reliefs. These included a request for a perpetual injunction preventing ENSIEC from conducting any elections in Enugu State without the APC’s participation through its duly elected State Executive Committee (SEC), which is registered with INEC.

The party also sought orders compelling INEC and ENSIEC to recognize only the democratically elected principal officer of the APC’s State Executive Committee in Enugu and preventing the third defendant, Onyeachonam, from continuing to sell or accept payments for nomination forms under the guise of being the party’s elected principal officer.

Previously, Justice Emeka Nwite of the FHC had refused to grant an ex-parte motion aimed at stopping the local government elections in Enugu. Instead, Justice Nwite ordered an expedited hearing of the case, authorized substituted service of court documents on the defendants, and reduced the timeline for legal processes.

The case was later reassigned to Justice Lifu after being transferred back to the Chief Judge, Justice John Tsoho.