The Court of Appeal Abuja has nullified the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission for the conduct of the state local government polls which has now been conducted.

Delivering judgement, the special panel led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, held that the lower court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter as Section twenty eight of the Electoral Act does not cover elections conducted by states, only federal elections, governorship and area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory.

The appellate court also held that the lower court was wrong to have ordered security agencies not to carry out their constitutional duties.

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court had delivered judgment in a suit, criticising Rivers statt Electoral Commission for setting October five as the election date without adhering to the relevant laws governing the conduct of the election.

This appeal is amongst other appeals filed by aggrieved parties against certain judgments of the Federal High Court in Abuja.