“Judicial Showdown: Court Sets Date to Examine PDP Candidates’ Nomination in Rivers Local Elections”

A High Court in Rivers State, located in Port Harcourt, has set April 14, 2026, for the examination of all outstanding motions in a case brought by three dissatisfied members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the region.

The parties involved in the case include the factional state chairman of the PDP, Aaron Chukwuemeka; the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC); the PDP; the Rivers State Government; as well as three local government council leaders from Obio-Akpor, Port Harcourt City, and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, together with their respective vice chairpersons and council members.

The plaintiffs, Enyi Uchechukwu, Wisdom Kalio, and Uche Amadi, are seeking judicial insight on whether the state executive committee led by Aaron Chukwuemeka, whose establishment was annulled by a previous court ruling, had the legal right to present a list of candidates to RSIEC for the recently completed local government elections.

They additionally ask the court to ascertain whether the PDP legitimately nominated candidates via the mentioned leadership for the upcoming council elections on August 30, 2025.

During the resumed hearing on Tuesday, attorneys representing the PDP and the implicated local government councils, many of whom are Senior Advocates of Nigeria, informed the court that they had only received the initiating documents on March 13, 2026.

They thus requested more time to reply regarding legal matters.

The motion for postponement was not contested by the claimants’ attorney, Glory Chizim-Chinda.

Overseeing the case, Justice Stephen Jumbo approved the request and postponed proceedings to April 14, 2026, for the examination of all outstanding applications and potential rulings before addressing the core issues.