A Federal High Court in Abuja has reserved judgment in the suit by the All Progressives Congress, (APC) against the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) and others over the planned conduct of local government election in Rivers State.
After hearing lawyers to parties on Thursday, Justice Peter Lifu, announced that a date for judgment would be communicated to them.
APC is, by the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/987/2024 querying INEC’s readiness for the election, contending that the condition precedent for conduct of LG election in the state was not yet met by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) as required.
The plaintiff, among others, want that court to declare that INEC was bound to manage the updating and revision of the voters’ register in such a way as to ensure that the process stops not later than 90 days before the day of the election.
In his final submission on Thursday, Joseph Daudu (SAN), who led six other Senior Advocates, including Dr James Ogwu Onoja for the plaintiff, prayed the court to grant the reliefs sought in the substantive suit.
Daudu urged the court to disregard the counter-arguments by the defendants, including the Attorney General of Rivers State (represented by Tawo Tawo, SAN) and the RSIEC (represented by Femi Falana, SAN).
In their various submissions, Tawo and Falana challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear the case and the competence of the suit, arguing that it was statute barred.
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They also argued that the proper court with jurisdiction to hear the case is the Federal High Court sitting in Rivers State.
The lawyers to the defendants equally contended that the court, sitting as a vacation court, lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case in the absence of the consent of both parties.
Earlier, the court heard all other preliminary applications, which were taken along with the substantive suit.
Some of such applications were those by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Boot Party (BP) who sought to be made parties to the suit.
The court also heard motions filed by Goddy Uche (SAN) for change of counsel and another seeking the discontinuance of the suit on behalf of the APC in Rivers State.
The court also took a motion for the discontinuance of the suit filed in the name of Chief Emeka Beke, and Sam Sam Etetegwung, described as Chairman and Secretary of the APC in Rivers State.