A State High Court in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, has annulled the ward, local government, and state congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, which led to the election of Tony Okocha as the party’s chairman.
In his ruling on Friday, Presiding Judge Justice Godswill Ogbomanu nullified the congresses, citing a previous court order that had restrained the APC from proceeding with the congresses.
The court also imposed a N10 million fine on the APC.
Reacting to the ruling, the counsel for the claimants, Emenike Ebette, praised the decision, calling it a victory for justice.
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“Justice had been done because they actually stole a march against the claimants. When a matter is before the court, the subject matter is there and the courts say don’t do it and you go ahead in a brazen manner, as the court so found it,” he said.
“The court has the power under its disciplinary jurisdiction to set aside such acts. You know, the court granted a stay of proceedings, but it had to restore its dignity and integrity. What the court has done this evening is in line with the law,” Ebette added.
On his part, the defendants’ counsel, William Wobodo, stated that they would inform their clients in the National Working Committee (NWC) of the court ruling before determining their next course of action.
“The good thing is that before today, there was already an appeal duly entered at the Court of Appeal with a suit number CA/PH/523/2024 wherein the defendants are challenging the jurisdiction of the court to decide on the internal affairs of the APC,” Wobodo.
“The Supreme Court has said, even in the case of Aguma versus Dele Moses, which arose from APC River state and went all the way to the Supreme Court, where the Supreme Court said the internal affairs of the APC or a political party is solely the affairs of a political party,” he said.
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