Court Told To Halt Local Govt Elections In Imo

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has approached the Imo State High Court seeking to halt the local government elections scheduled to hold across the state on September 26, 2026.

Politics Nigeria understands that the party sought the legal intervention in Suit No. HOW/1380/2026 filed at the Owerri Judicial Division on September 16.

It is asking the court to restrain the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC) and its chairman from conducting the poll pending the determination of the substantive suit.

APGA and four of its state executives are challenging the legality of the electoral process, arguing that the commission failed to comply with statutory requirements governing the conduct of local government elections.

A major issue of the suit is ISIEC’s 360-day Notice of Election issued on September 18, 2025.

The plaintiffs argued that the notice was defective because it did not state the specific date on which the election would take place, contrary to provisions of the Electoral Act.

They further contended that the commission’s subsequent announcement on September 11, 2026, fixing the election for September 26 could not remedy the alleged defect in the earlier notice.

ISIEC had announced that the election would cover the 27 local government chairmanship positions and 305 councillorship seats across 4,758 polling units in the state. The commission said the exercise was covered by its September 18, 2025, 360-day notice issued under the Electoral Act 2022, as amended.

APGA, however, maintained that statutory compliance was mandatory, relying on a 2025 Supreme Court decision concerning the Rivers State local government elections.

It argued that the Supreme Court’s position underscored the importance of strict adherence to statutory requirements relating to election notices and voters’ registers.

The plaintiffs also raised questions over the applicability of the Electoral Act under which the 2025 notice was issued, arguing that the 2022 law has since been repealed by the Electoral Act 2026, which commenced in February.

Another issue raised by APGA concerns the Register of Voters. The plaintiffs questioned whether ISIEC complied with the statutory requirement relating to the cessation of voter registration and revision at least 90 days before the election.

The legal challenge comes less than a week before the scheduled poll, placing the election timetable under judicial scrutiny.

Separately, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has accused individuals he described as loyal to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) of destroying campaign billboards and looting shops in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.

Keyamo said in a post on his X handle that the incident occurred on Friday, September 18, alleging that the attackers destroyed billboards belonging to the Tompolo Door-to-Door Campaign Organisation and invaded shops with weapons before looting them.

The minister also alleged that some law-enforcement personnel accompanied the attackers, although the allegation has not been independently established.

Keyamo compared the incident with the recent blockade of Peter Obi’s entourage in Benue State, saying he had condemned that incident but considered the Effurun incident more serious.

He also criticised what he described as selective reactions to political violence, arguing that there would have been stronger condemnation if APC supporters had been victims.

Keyamo said he had warned his supporters against retaliatory action and would petition the Inspector-General of Police over the incident.

He called for an investigation into the alleged attack and said anyone found culpable, including any security personnel implicated, should face appropriate sanctions.