The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ebonyi State chapter, has rejected the local government elections held across the state on Saturday, describing the exercise as a “mono-party election” allegedly conducted in violation of existing court orders.
The party’s State Publicity Secretary, Darlington Onwe, stated this on Sunday during a press conference in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
Onwe said the PDP does not recognise the exercise as a valid election, alleging that the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) and the state government failed to provide a level playing field for all registered political parties.
According to him, an election in which meaningful participation is limited to one political party cannot satisfy the constitutional requirement for democratic representation at the local government level.
He cited Sections 7(1) and 14 of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that the provisions guarantee democratically elected local government councils and recognise the role of citizens in governance.
The PDP spokesperson also referenced the July 2024 Supreme Court judgment in Attorney-General of the Federation v. Attorney-General of Abia State & 35 Others, which he said reinforced the constitutional importance of democratically elected local government administrations.
Onwe further questioned the legality of the two-year tenure prescribed under the amended Ebonyi State Local Government Law, arguing that it conflicts with constitutional provisions and relevant Supreme Court decisions.
He maintained that conducting an election under a law alleged to be inconsistent with the Constitution could not resolve the underlying legal concerns.
The PDP also referred to the 2022 Ebonyi local government election, which it said was nullified by the Federal High Court in Abakaliki following alleged breaches of the Electoral Act and concerns over the lack of a level playing field.
The party noted that the Court of Appeal later upheld the judgment in May 2025.
Onwe further alleged that EBSIEC conducted another local government election on July 20, 2024, while litigation over the matter was ongoing. He said candidates of the ruling party emerged across the 13 chairmanship and 171 councillorship positions.
According to him, that election was subsequently nullified by the Federal High Court, Abakaliki, in a judgment delivered on October 21, 2025.
He alleged that the court also restrained EBSIEC and the Ebonyi State Government from conducting another local government election except in compliance with the Constitution and Electoral Act.
The PDP spokesman argued that the order remained valid and should have prevented the latest election from taking place.
Onwe also warned that the disputed election could have financial consequences for Ebonyi State’s 13 local government areas.
He referred to the Supreme Court’s position on democratically elected local councils and argued that councils produced through an allegedly unconstitutional process could face difficulties regarding access to federal allocations.
The PDP urged federal institutions, including the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to take note of its concerns.
The opposition party called on EBSIEC to suspend the electoral process pending compliance with court orders and the resolution of what it described as constitutional defects in Ebonyi’s local government law.
It also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take note of the development and called on the Ebonyi State Government to comply with outstanding court orders concerning local government administration.
Onwe said the PDP would challenge the outcome of the election in court.
The party had earlier announced that it would boycott the Ebonyi local government elections, citing alleged failure by EBSIEC to provide an electoral process that was open to all political parties.
Reacting to the PDP’s position, EBSIEC Chairman Patrick Enyi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview that the election was open to all political parties and that the commission followed the required procedures.
“We created awareness for all interested parties to participate, but they did not show interest, especially PDP,” Enyi said.
However, the EBSIEC chairman did not disclose the names of the political parties that participated in the election. He later ended the telephone conversation and did not respond to a subsequent call from NAN seeking additional clarification.
Also reacting, the Ebonyi State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Stanley Okoro-Emegha, described the election as a competitive exercise.
He maintained that EBSIEC carried all political parties along throughout the electoral process.
“It was an open contest for the parties that indicated interest. I believe nothing was done secretly from the beginning to the day of the elections,”.
Okoro-Emegha
As of the time of the report, official results from Saturday’s Ebonyi State local government elections were still being awaited.
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