Local elections in Enugu postponed

The Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission has said that the local government elections earlier scheduled for February 24 have been postponed to October 5, 2024.

The Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Mike Ajogu, disclosed this in a statement in Enugu on Wednesday.

Ajogu said the postponement followed the court order asking the commission to adjust its original guidelines and schedule published in the Enugu State Gazette on September 26, 2023.

“The postponement came pursuant to a judgment of the Enugu State High Court delivered by His Lordship Justice CO Ajah in the case of Action Alliance v. Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission in Suit No. E/682/2023.

“The Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission has been directed to make the following adjustment to its original guideline and schedule published in the Enugu State Official Gazette dated September 26, 2023.

“The 2024 Enugu State local government elections, originally scheduled for February 24, have been moved to October 5, 2024,” he said.

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An electoral commission official told the News Agency of Nigeria that the commission was supposed to give 360 ​​days’ notice as stipulated by law, instead of the 120 days it gave.

“The court said we must follow the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission; that we cannot use a different guideline than INEC, although we have been using the local government law,” the official said.

The official said there was likely to be an appeal, but “that’s not up to us, it’s up to the state government to decide.”