A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has thrown out an application seeking to halt the August 30 local government elections in the state.
Justice Stephen Jumbo, who presided over the matter, ruled that the ex parte motion filed by Port Harcourt-based lawyer, Williams Abayomi-Stanley, against President Bola Tinubu, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), and its Chairman, lacked merit and should therefore be dismissed.
However, the court granted another request, allowing substituted service of court documents on the defendants, while maintaining that the elections scheduled for August 30 should proceed as planned. The substantive suit was adjourned to September 10, 2025, for hearing.
Speaking after the proceedings, counsel to the claimant, Godsent Elewa, explained that his client approached the court to seek clarity on constitutional provisions relating to the president’s powers in appointing RSIEC officials.
He said, “My client, Williams Stanley-Abayomi, is a Constitutional lawyer and an indigene of Rivers State from Emuoha LGA. The applicant basically is in Court to seek the interpretations of some Sections, particularly section 2 sub 1 and section 3 sub 1 of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission Law number 12, 2018 and Sections 197, 198 and 200 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as altered.”
Elewa acknowledged that while one of the applications was dismissed, the ruling partially favoured his client.
He stated, “We have two motions ex parte, the first was the motion ex parte for an interim injunction to restrain the conduct of the August 30 local government elections. Unfortunately, the Court dismissed that motion as it lacked merit and adjourned to the 10th of September for all the parties to be served with our substantive processes and for us to argue the main application.
“The second order was an order for substituted service to be effected on the first and the second defendants, which are President Bola Tinubu and the Attorney-General of the Federation. So these were the two orders the court granted today.”
