Rivers LG polls: Court dismisses suit, awards N10m against claimants

A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has dismissed a lawsuit filed by three unhappy members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the party’s state chairman, Chukwuemeka Aaron, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), and the Rivers State Government.

The respondents also included the chairmen, vice chairmen, and councillors of Obio-Akpor, Port Harcourt City, and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas.

The plaintiffs—Enyi Uchechukwu, Wisdom Kalio, and Uche Amadi—requested the court to determine whether the Chukwuemeka Aaron‑led state executive had the authority to submit candidates’ lists to RSIEC for the August 2025 local government elections, after a prior judgment had invalidated the congresses that produced the executive.

In his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Stephen Jumbo rejected the suit, stating that the court lacked jurisdiction over the matter and that the plaintiffs did not have the legal standing to bring the case.

The judge also noted that, rather than addressing the earlier judgment concerning Chukwuemeka Aaron, the applicants had raised issues related to a pre‑election matter that had already passed the statutory time limit.

After taking into account the defendants’ objections, the court struck out the case and ordered the claimants to pay ten million naira in costs to the defendants.