In a major legal blow to the Ebonyi State Government, the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu has affirmed the nullification of the controversial 2022 local government elections. The ruling, delivered on Thursday, May 15, 2025, confirmed that the elections held on July 30, 2022, were invalid and in violation of existing court orders.
The appellate court, led by Justice Joseph Ekanem, dismissed all three appeals brought by the Ebonyi State Government, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the sacked local government chairmen. According to the court, the 2022 elections were fundamentally flawed, and the decision of the Federal High Court in Abakaliki—delivered by Justice R. O. Riman—remains binding and legally enforceable.
The court emphasized that the elections were conducted in defiance of an existing court ruling, rendering the outcome legally void. The lead judgment clarified that the Federal High Court’s earlier verdict (Suit No. FHC/AI/CS/151/2022) had already invalidated the process and that the appeals failed to prove otherwise.
Although the court partially granted the CBN’s appeal by allowing the release of local government funds, it firmly ruled that such funds must not be accessed by individuals who were not validly elected.
This decision effectively strips the sacked officials of legitimacy, executive authority, and access to public funds.
With the nullification now upheld at the appellate level, Ebonyi State faces a leadership vacuum at the local government tier. It is unclear whether the state government will organize fresh elections or pursue further legal action at the Supreme Court.
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