The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja to set aside the judgment that voided the timelines it issued for the 2027 general elections.

The Commission also applied for the stay of execution of the judgment, pending the determination of its appeal.

In the notice of appeal dated May 25, which INEC filed through its team of lawyers led by Dr. Alex Izinyon, SAN, the Commission urged the appellate court to consider and vacate the judgment the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered on May 20.

Aside from its contention that the high court erred in law when it failed to determine a jurisdictional issue it raised, INEC maintained that the legal action the Youth Party (YP) initiated against it was not only hypothetical but academic.

It argued that failure of the trial court to make pronouncements on the issues, resulted in the denial of fair hearing to the Appellant.

More so, INEC insisted that the high court erred in law when it held that: “It is clear from the wordings of Sections 29(1), 82 and 84 of the Electoral Act, 2026, the following can be understood. Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026 mandates Political Parties to submit the names of candidates in prescribed forms of the candidates who emerged from its valid primaries which such a political party intends to sponsor at the elections, not later than 120 days before the date of the General Election.

“What is required of Political Parties to do under the Electoral Act, 2026 is to notify the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 21 days before the holding of its primaries, congresses or conventions, days before the holding of its primaries, congresses or conventions, or any conference or meeting convened for the election of its executive committees, other governing bodies for nominating candidates.

“The Defendant is not mandated to impose a timeframe for political parties to conduct their primaries provided that it will be done and submitted not later than the 120 days provided by the Electoral Act, 2026. See Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.”

INEC argued that the verdict of the trial court was against the weight of evidence that was placed before it by the parties.

Consequently, it prayed the appellate court for an order allowing the appeal and setting aside the judgment.

The electoral body further urged the Court of Appeal to strike out YP’s case on the ground that it lacked the locus standi (legal right) to institute and maintain the action it said was merely academic.

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has reassured the people of Rivers State of  his administration’s  commitment to the completion of the  various ongoing  infrastructure projects located in different parts of the state.

The governor, who gave the assurance last Friday while inspecting the level of work on the new  Airport Road Bypass in Port Harcourt, said the project had reached 65 per cent completion stage.

According to him, in spite of recent developments on the political scene, he remains in “high spirits,” and is ready  to continue with the task of  governance, especially the delivery of projects that will impact positively on the lives of the people.

“I want to assure our people that notwithstanding the situation of things, one thing that I can promise everyone, is that every good work that we have started, by the special grace of God, will continue and we will complete them. We’re in high spirits. Like, we always say, Rivers First,” he said.

Fubara said that his administration conceived the idea of constructing a bypass to the Airport Road to create an alternative route for the communities around the airport and avoid a situation where some of their activities could cause obstruction along the main highway leading to the Port Harcourt International Airport.

“We’ve always had these issues where the community may want to express their anger or dissatisfaction over some activities of the airport authorities, in the process they always block the airport road.

” We thought that in this modern society, such actions are not necessary anymore because whenever it happens, it affects the economic activities of the state. So we liaised with the community and created this bypass,” he said.

The governor, who  was conducted round the project site by the contractors, expressed delight at the pace of work on the road, disclosing that the total project will be delivered before October 2026.

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that  the State Secretariat Complex which is undergoing massive reconstruction will be ready for use  by the first quarter of 2027.

Fubara stated this on Monday after a tour of the multiple and  expansive high rise buildings, located in the Old GRA, Port Harcourt.

The governor, who had undertaken a similar tour of the project earlier this year, said he decided to revisit the site to confirm the extent of the job that has been done so far.

“We just did a tour of the renovation of the Secretariat. I have been seeing the outer part of it wearing a new look,  but I wanted to really confirm how  much job is going on, most importantly, the inside and that is what I just went to inspect myself.

“I think that with the progress of work here, by the grace of God, I believe that by the first quarter of next year, it will be handed over to the government. Like I did promise, every job that we are handling, we will ensure that we put them to completion,” he said.

The Tide reports that the Rivers State Secretariat was constructed in the 1970s, shortly after Rivers State was created in 1967. It  is a massive complex consisting of multiple high-rise buildings, including the 17-storey “Point Block”, the 10-storey “Podium Block” along with three other 7-storey buildings tagged “Blocks A, B and C”.

The ongoing renovation  is a comprehensive and transformative upgrade aimed at modernizing the entire complex. It involves structural rehabilitation, improved office layouts, installation of modern facilities, and upgrading of utilities to meet present-day administrative standards.

The project is designed to create a more conducive, efficient, and technology-driven work environment for civil servants.