A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the legality of the recent local government elections and the appointment of a sole administrator.
The suit, filed by lawyer Williams Abayomi Stanley, was struck out by Justice Stephen Jumbo on the grounds that the court lacked jurisdiction and the claimant had no legal standing.
Justice Jumbo ruled that only the Supreme Court has the exclusive jurisdiction to hear such a case under an emergency rule, as stipulated by the constitution.
The judge further stated that the claimant, Williams Abayomi Stanley, did not have the locus standi (legal standing) to file the suit. He explained that Stanley failed to show any personal interest or specific harm beyond a general public interest.
Justice Jumbo added that the interest being protected was that of the state governor, a position the claimant did not hold.
In his ruling, the judge affirmed the legitimacy of the August 30 local government election, noting it was conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), a constitutional body, and not by the governor or the sole administrator.
Despite the ruling, the claimant’s counsel, Godsent Elewa, expressed his intention to appeal the decision.
Elewa disagreed with the court’s findings on both jurisdiction and locus standi, stating that the judge’s comments on the election’s validity were not part of the core judgment.
Conversely, the counsel for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Monday John Otokwala, praised the judgment, calling it a true representation of the law regarding local government elections in the state.
