A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt and presided over by Justice Stephen Jumbo has dismissed a suit filed by Fubara Dagogo and eight others, members of the Chief Emeka Beke–led faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC), against the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) over the nomination of candidates for the August 30, 2025, local government elections.
Delivering judgment, Justice Jumbo held that although the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended) does not define a pre-election matter, Section 285 (14) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) classifies the case as one.
Justice Jumbo further ruled that the suit was statute-barred, having not been filed within seven days or determined within fourteen days of the cause of action, as stipulated in Regulation 10 (2) of the Emergency Powers Conduct Regulations.
Consequently, the court declared that it lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter and dismissed the suit without awarding costs, directing both parties to bear their respective expenses.
Counsel to RSIEC, from the State Ministry of Justice, declined to comment on the judgment. However, counsel to the plaintiffs, James Allen-Umeni, described the ruling as a well-considered judgment, adding that his clients would study it before deciding on their next line of action.
The plaintiffs had approached the court to challenge RSIEC’s refusal to accept the list of candidates submitted by their faction led by Chief Emeka Beke and replace them with candidates currently occupying the councils, who were nominated by the Chief Tony Okocha–led faction of the APC.
