The Peoples Democratic Party, Ebonyi State chapter, has rejected the local government elections held across the state on Saturday, alleging that the exercise was not conducted in line with constitutional requirements and existing court orders.
The party described the polls as a one-party exercise and said it would challenge the outcome in court.
The PDP State Publicity Secretary, Darlington Onwe, disclosed the party’s position at a press conference in Abakaliki on Sunday.
Onwe said the party did not recognise the exercise as a valid election because, according to him, the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission failed to create conditions for meaningful participation by all registered political parties.
He argued that the process could not produce legitimate local government officials if only a limited number of political parties took part.
The PDP spokesperson referred to Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for democratically elected local government councils, as well as Section 14, which recognises the role of citizens in governance.
He maintained that the constitutional provisions required local government elections to provide voters with a genuine opportunity to choose their representatives.
Onwe also referred to the Supreme Court judgment in the case of Attorney-General of the Federation v. Attorney-General of Abia State and 35 Others, delivered in July 2024, saying the decision reinforced the need for democratically elected local government councils.
He also questioned the legality of the two-year tenure provided for local government officials under the amended Ebonyi State Local Government Law.
According to him, the provision was inconsistent with constitutional requirements and previous judicial pronouncements, and an election conducted under a disputed law could not resolve the underlying legal issues.
The PDP further cited the 2022 local government election in the state, which it said was nullified by the Federal High Court in Abakaliki over alleged breaches of the Electoral Act and the failure to provide a level playing field for political parties.
The party said the Court of Appeal later upheld the decision in May 2025.
Onwe also recalled another local government election conducted by EBSIEC on July 20, 2024, during which candidates of the ruling party reportedly emerged in all 13 chairmanship positions and 171 councillorship seats.
He said that election was later nullified by the Federal High Court in Abakaliki in a judgment delivered on October 21, 2025.
According to the PDP, the court also barred EBSIEC and the Ebonyi State Government from conducting another local government election except in accordance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act.
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Onwe argued that the order remained valid and should have prevented the latest exercise from taking place.
The party also raised concerns about the financial consequences of conducting local government elections amid unresolved legal disputes.
Onwe referred to previous Supreme Court positions on elected local government councils and warned that councils produced through a process later found to be unlawful could face problems in accessing federal funds.
He called on the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, the Federation Account Allocation Committee and the Central Bank of Nigeria to take note of the PDP’s concerns.
The party further urged EBSIEC to stop the electoral process and comply with existing court orders before proceeding with another election.
It also appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission to take note of the development and called on the Ebonyi State Government to obey all outstanding judicial decisions relating to local government administration.
Onwe said the PDP would seek legal redress and contest the outcome of the polls before a competent court.
The party had earlier announced that it would not participate in the election, accusing EBSIEC of failing to provide an electoral process that allowed all political parties to compete.
EBSIEC, however, rejected the PDP’s claims and said the election was open to political parties that wanted to participate.
The commission’s Chairman, Patrick Enyi, told the News Agency of Nigeria by telephone that adequate arrangements had been made to enable interested parties to take part in the exercise.
Enyi said EBSIEC created awareness about the election but claimed that the PDP and other parties that did not participate failed to indicate interest.
He did not disclose the political parties that took part in the election and ended the call before responding to further questions from NAN.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Ebonyi State, Stanley Okoro-Emegha, also defended the election, describing it as a competitive process.
He said political parties were informed about the exercise and that nothing was done secretly in the period leading to the election.
Results of the Ebonyi State local government elections were still being awaited as of Sunday.
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