APC Vows to Challenge Nullification of Congresses by Court

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

A faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has vowed to appeal the recent ruling by a state High Court, nullifying its congresses in the state.

It would be recalled that Justice Godswill Obomanu of the State High Court in Port Harcourt, had on Friday, nullified the congress, which produced Tony Okocha as the substantive state chairman of the party, following the contempt of court proceedings filed by the camp of another factional chairman of the party in the state, Emeka Beke.
The court had earlier issued an order stopping the conduct of the congresses in the state, but the APC defied the order and held the process.

However, the embattled members of the party, who had secured the order, returned to the court to notify it that the party had conducted the congresses despite the valid order of the court.
Justice Obomanu, after listening to the arguments and submissions of the counsel nullified the congresses of the party.

Reacting to the nullification, Okocha’s faction of the party in the state has vowed to challenge the order of Justice Obomanu in a higher court.
In a statement by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Chibike Ikenga, alleged that the order made by Justice Obomanu was part of a coordinated plot to use the court to undermine the APC and President Bola Tinubu.
Ikenga also accused the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, of working to ensure that the APC is not stable in the state.

He recalled that “sometimes in July 2024, after the APC announced its congresses in Rivers State for October 2024, some persons on the payroll of the governor, who claimed to be members of State Executive Committee of the APC ran to the Rivers State High Court to obtain an ex-parte injunction on August 22, 2024 in suit No PHC/3699/CS/2024: Peter Ohochukwu vs Abdulahi Ganduje & Ors., restraining APC from conducting congresses.
He added that after they secured the orders, they went to sleep and took no further steps in that case.