Court summons 3 Rivers LGA Chairmen, counsellors to defend election

2026-03-03 - 15:07

By Davies Iheamnachor PORT HARCOURT: A Rivers State High Court holden in Port Harcourt has ordered three local government Chairmen, their Vice and counsellors to appear before it to state while their elections on August 30th, should not be nullified. The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, had August 30th 2025 conducted council elections across the 23 LGAs of the state. Those affected the Candiates who contacted and won the election on the platform of PDP. The court on Tuesday, ordeObio-AkpChairmen of Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt City and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, their Vice and Counsellors to appear before it to show cause why their election should not be nullified. Justice Stephen Jumbo, gave the order after joining the Chairman of Obio/Akpor, Hon. Gift Worlu, PhD., and fifty-nine others as second set of respondents in the sult filed by three stakeholders of PDP in the state. Jumbo before adjourning till the 17th of march 2026 for hearing, granted application for substituted service by the claimants counsel, Glory Chizim-Chinda, on the second set of respondents. The court directed that the process be served on the defendants at the State Secretariat of the PDP on Aba road. The Claimants, Enyi Uchechukwu, WISDOM Kalio, Uche Amadi are in court against the State factional Chairman of PDP, Aaron Chukwuemeka, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, PDP and the government of Rivers State over the nomination of PDP Chairmen, their Vice and Councillors for the last Council elections in the state. The Claimants in their originating summon are asking the court to determine weather Aaron Chukwuemeka, led state executives whose congresses that brought him has been nullified can validly submit list of candidates to RSIEC for the just concluded LGA elections by virtue of the judgment of the Rivers State High Court delivered against his emergence. The claimants also want the court to determine amongst other reliefs weather the PDP has presented a valid list of candidates to RSIEC through Aaron Chukwuemeka as to enable the candidates to have taken part in August 30th 2025 council elections. They want a declaration that the PDP’s Ward, Local Government Area and State Elective Congresses conducted on July 27, 2024, August 10, 2024 are a nullity and having been set aside by the Rivers State High and Chukwuemeka being a product of the said nullified congresses lacked the competence or capacity to conduct any of the party’s primaries and/or to submit any list of candidate. The claimants equally asked for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Defendants by themselves, privies, agents, assigns, administrators and/or howsoever so named from interfering and/or further interfering with the PDP’s internal affairs with regards to the nomination, presentation of candidates for elective positions