Appeal Court Overturns 2015 Judgment Removing APC Local Government Chairmen in Rivers

The Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt has overturned the 2015 judgment of the Federal High Court that nullified the election of local government chairmen elected under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State.

The legal battle began when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Governor Nyesom Wike challenged the validity of the local government elections held before Wike assumed office. The Federal High Court ruled in their favor, removing the elected chairmen from office. However, the affected chairmen were not joined in the suit, prompting them to appeal the decision.

Delivering judgment on Friday, a three-man panel led by Justice A. H. Lager-Balogun faulted the Federal High Court for failing to address the issue of jurisdiction and for excluding the affected chairmen despite the direct impact of the ruling on them. As a result, the Appeal Court declared the previous judgment null and void. However, it refrained from issuing consequential orders regarding the 23 local government councils.

James Kalu-Momg, counsel to the embattled chairmen, stated that they would review the judgment before determining their next legal steps. Meanwhile, one of the affected chairmen, Reginald Ukwuoma, argued that they should return to office, citing the vacancy at local government secretariats following a recent Supreme Court ruling.