A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has declared Mr. Emeka Beke’s removal as All Progressive Congress (APC) Rivers State chairman null and void.
The court, presided over by Justice Sika Aprioku, ruled on Monday afternoon that the National Working Committee of the APC erred in dissolving an elected executive.
According to Justice Aprioku, the APC NWC lacks the authority to dissolve an elected state executive or establish a caretaker committee while the elected executive’s term is still in effect.
The court, therefore, sacked the caretaker committee of the party in the state led by Chief Tony Okocha and reinstated the Emeka Beke-led executive.
Aprioku further barred Okocha and members of the CTC from further parading themselves as executives of the APC in Rivers State.
Meanwhile, the CTC, headed by Okocha, has rejected the judgment of the Rivers State High Court.
“We have instructed our lawyers to immediately take steps to appeal against the judgement. We are only worried for the judiciary,” they said.
Persecondnews recalls that the judgment followed a lawsuit filed by Mr. Sam Etetegwung against Dr. Abdulahi Ganduje, APC National Chairman, and others.
Etetegwung, former APC State Secretary, sued the party over the dissolution of the Rivers State Working Committee (SWC) due to alleged anti-party activities during the 2023 elections.
Okocha said the judgment did not come as a surprise to the leadership of the party in the state.
In a statement released on Monday, the CTC Publicity Secretary, Mr. Chibike Ikenga, recalled that: “the leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Rivers State, sensed the judge’s overt interest in the matter and petitioned the Chief Judge of Rivers State.
“They requested that Hon. Justice Sika H. Aprioku recuse himself from the case or transfer the matter to another judge of Rivers State, but their request was denied.
Today, Hon. Justice Sika H. Aprioku has vindicated us by his judgement.
“They were taken before vacation and adjourned. We were surprised that the judge had to call us back during vacation for a matter that has no urgency and no time limit.
“As a party in the suit, we never applied for the matter to be brought as vacation matter; the Chief Judge did not also serve us any application from the other party for that purpose.
“Interestingly, in his judgement, the judge went against all the principles of law established by the Supreme Court of Nigeria and as we have known them as a political party, especially in APC vs. Igo Aguma and APC vs. Dele Moses, both originating from the same Rivers State High Court.
“In such a critical case challenging the decision and actions of the APC, the judge said that the APC need not to be joined as a party, yet it went ahead to make orders against the APC.
“Our lawyers raised objection which were totally ignored by the judge. In the recent case of APC vs. Dele Moses and APC vs. Igo Aguma, the Supreme Court restated that the COURT DOES NOT HAVE JURISDICTION TO DABBLE INTO THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF A POLITICAL PARTY.
“However, the judge holds the view that the Justices of the Supreme Court were wrong and so overruled them. The judge also said the plaintiff does not have to exhaust the internal dispute resolution mechanism of the APC.
“It is only a matter of time before the true motive for this kind of rebellious judgement against earlier decisions/judgements of the Supreme Court will be exposed. The Caretaker Committee of the APC, Rivers State, led by Chief Tony Okocha, is still on the saddle and is fully in charge of the affairs of the party-APC in the state.”
Ikenga advised APC members in Rivers State to stay focused on rebuilding and strengthening the party and avoid being sidetracked by individuals who may still be nursing political grievances from the APC primary elections and plotting against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
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