The Supreme Court, on Friday, declared the Rivers State Local Government elections, held last October invalid.

A five-member panel of the Court, led by Justice Jamilu Tukur, ruled that the conduct of the local government elections in Rivers State was null and void.

The ruling overturned the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which had previously reversed the trial court’s decision on the grounds of lack of jurisdiction. As a result, the Supreme Court reinstated the decision of the Federal High Court.

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Earlier, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja had issued an order restraining the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission from proceeding with the local government elections.

This was due to the absence of an updated voter register, which the court deemed necessary for the election to take place.

The court also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, to release the updated voter register to the Rivers Electoral Commission and barred the police, the Department of State Services, and other security agencies from providing security for voters during the election.

Crediblenewsng.com