EKITI HIGH COURT DISMISSES ADC SUIT, AWARDS N100,000 COST TO EKSIEC AS DECEMBER 12 LG POLLS GET GREEN LIGHT
The Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has thrown out a suit filed by the African Democratic Congress ADC against the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission over the guidelines for the 2026 Local Government and Local Council Development Areas elections.
In a statement issued by Chief Soji Oloketuyi,Commissioner at EKSIEC, on behalf of the Chairman, Justice Ilori Akintayo Rtd,on Friday, the commission confirmed that the ADC sued the chairman personally alongside EKSIEC as co-defendants, with the Federal High Court transferring the matter to the State High Court that has jurisdiction to try it.
The statement said the ADC sought declaratory reliefs, among others, to invalidate the guidelines made by the chairman for the conduct of the 2026 LG/LCDAs elections scheduled for December 12, 2026. But in a 76-page judgment, the presiding judge, Justice S.B.J. Bamise, dismissed the suit and described the plaintiffs as meddlesome interlopers who sought to truncate the forthcoming local government elections. The court subsequently awarded costs of N100,000 in favour of EKSIEC and the other defendant in the suit.
The ruling marks a significant legal development in the build-up to the December 12, 2026 local government elections in Ekiti State, clearing a key hurdle for the commission as it presses ahead with preparations.
