Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has directed all elected local government chairpersons in the state to hand over to Local Government Administrators (LGA Heads) following the Supreme Court’s nullification of the October 5, 2024, local government elections.
Speaking in a statewide broadcast on Sunday, Fubara reaffirmed his commitment to upholding the rule of law, stating that fresh council elections will be conducted to fill the leadership vacuum in the local governments.
“Furthermore, given the outlawing of caretaker arrangements in the local government system, I hereby direct the heads of local government administration to immediately take over the administration of the 23 local government councils pending the conduct of fresh elections by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission,” Fubara declared.
His directive comes two days after the Supreme Court annulled the local government polls, ruling that they were conducted without meeting the legal requirements set out in Section 150(3) of the Electoral Act.
The apex court’s ruling, delivered by Justice Jamilu Tukur on February 28, 2025, overturned a previous judgment by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had upheld the election results on November 21, 2024.
The controversy surrounding the election dates back to September 30, 2024, when Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voter register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
Lifu also restrained the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security agencies from providing security for the elections.
However, a special panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, later ruled that the high court lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case, paving the way for the elections to be held.
