Don’t Conduct Congresses In Rivers – Court Stops APC

• Restrains party from suspending Emeka Beke-led Excos

A State High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has barred the National Working Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from conducting ward and local government congresses in the State.

Furthermore, the Court restrained the ruling Party’s national leadership from initiating or authorizing any plan(s) to suspend the Emeka Beke-led executives of the party in the state

Ruling on a motion ex parte brought before him, presiding Judge, Justice Godwin Ollor, stopped the defendants, APC National Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje; Secretary, Surajudeen Ajibola-Basiru, and the APC, from conducting the ward, local government, and State congresses already scheduled to hold on the 11th, 16th, and 26th October 2024 respectively.

Other defendants in the suit filled by Peter Ohochukwu and Hajia Ndidi-Chukwuma as plaintiffs, are the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

While ruling on the motion ex parte, Justice Ollor restrained the defendants either for themselves, their men, officers, or agents from conducting, supervising, holding, monitoring, or in any other manner conducting elections to constitute or make up the Rivers State executive committee.

In cautioning the APC National leadership against tampering with the Emeka Beke-led executives as presently constituted, the Court adjourned the case to September 9th 2024 for hearing the motion on notice.

The court order came barely 24 hours after the sacked State APC chairman in the State, Tony Okocha, maintained that the party will not be participating in the forthcoming local government council polls in Rivers State.

Only recently, the Rivers High Court had nullified the removal of Emeka Beke-led State Executive Committee of the party and had reinstated it.

However, rather than obeying the order, the APC National leadership insisted on recognising only the Caretaker Committee led by the embattled Tony Okocha.