LG Polls: Legacy group candidates reject court ruling, go to appeal

Concerns continue to mount as the Legacy group All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates, who emerged from the primary conducted by the Emeka Beke-led faction of the party ahead of the last local government election in Rivers State, have rejected last week’s Port Harcourt High Court ruling that dismissed their case challenging the refusal of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to list them as the authentic APC candidates for the September polls.

The presiding judge, Justice Jumbo Stephen, in a ruling delivered on November 5, 2025, dismissed the case against RSIEC and the APC, stating that it did not meet the stipulated time for filing pre-election matters.

Justice Stephen noted that the appellants’ suit was statute-barred, as it was filed within 14 days of the cause of action, rather than the stipulated seven days as declared by the President of the Federal Republic.


Rejecting the lower court’s ruling, the candidates, through their lawyers J. A. Umwen, Esq. and Joe Samson, Esq., asked the Court of Appeal to review the decision, arguing that the lower court erred in law by holding that their suit was statute-barred.

They explained that the suit was filed at the lower court on August 22, 2025, while the cause of action arose on August 13, 2025.


The lawyers argued that, by virtue of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), all pre-election matters must be filed within 14 days of the actual cause of action and determined within 180 days from the date of filing.

According to the counsel, “Section 285(10) of the Constitution provides that a court in all pre-election matters shall deliver its judgment within a 180-day period.” They added that the presiding judge refused to hear the suit on its merit even though the stipulated 180 days had not elapsed, thereby denying the appellants their right to justice and fair hearing.

The counsel also faulted the lower court’s position that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria lawfully exercised his powers via the Emergency Power Regulations 2025 in modifying the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) Law of 2018. They contended that only the State House of Assembly or the National Assembly can validly legislate for Rivers State during an emergency period.


The solicitors therefore sought the following: An order setting aside the ruling of the High Court of Rivers State delivered on November 5, 2025, in Suit No: PHC/Fubara Dagogo & Eight others v. Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).

An order setting aside the purported list of persons submitted to the respondent as chairmanship candidates of the 9th appellant for the August 30, 2025 Rivers State Local Government Election and an order declaring and returning the 1st to 7th appellants as the duly elected local government chairmen for their respective areas, being the proper and lawfully nominated candidates of the 9th appellant.

Speaking on the appeal, the coordinator of the Legacy Group candidates, Fubara Dagogo, expressed confidence in the judiciary to consider the matter on its merit and restore both the rights of the people and the integrity of the nation’s judicial system.


Dagogo also reaffirmed the group’s confidence in the leadership of the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, noting that his achievements—particularly the high-profile defections he has secured—signal greater electoral victories ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He further disclosed that the Legacy Group has continued to expand its presence across the 319 wards and 4,442 polling units in Rivers State, intensifying efforts to sensitize communities about President Bola Tinubu’s developmental initiatives in the state, which, according to him, deserve the people’s continued support in 2027.