A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has dismissed an ex parte application seeking to halt the conduct of local government elections scheduled for August 30.
In his ruling, Justice Stephen Jumbo held that the application filed by Port Harcourt-based lawyer, Williams Abayomi-Stanley, lacked merit.
The suit had listed President Bola Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), and its chairman as defendants.
However, the court granted another application for substituted service on the defendants and adjourned the substantive case to September 10 for hearing.
Counsel to the claimant, Godsent Elewa, said his client was seeking constitutional interpretation on the powers of the president to appoint RSIEC members, citing provisions of the state law and the 1999 Constitution.