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BREAKING: Court returns Beke as Rivers APC chairman …Okocha’s CTC kicks, appeals ruling
A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt on Monday sacked the Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC in the state, which was appointed by the Abdullahi Ganduje-led National Working Committee of the APC.
The seven-member caretaker committee is led by Tony Okocha.
Ruling on a suit filed by Sam Sam Etetegwung, a former State Secretary of APC, Banarth Ezemoye, Ezekiel Ubom, and others on behalf of the democratically elected APC executive in the state, challenging the decision of the APC dissolving the State Working Committee(SWC) in Rivers State on account of the anti party activities of members of that SWC during the 2023 general election in the state, Justice Sika Aprioku held that the executive committee led by Emeka Beke is the legitimate leadership of the party in Rivers State.
However, the Okocha-led CTC has rejected the court judgment, and headed to the Appeal Court.
In a statement by Chibike Ikenga, publicity secretary of the CTC said: “The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rivers State, on sensing the overt interest of the Judge in the matter, petitioned to the Chief Judge of Rivers State, requesting that Hon. Justice Sika H. Aprioku recused himself from the case or the Chief Judge transferred the matter to another judge of Rivers State, but to no avail. 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 a 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, 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 APC need not be joined as a party, yet it went ahead to make orders against the APC. Our lawyers raised objections, 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 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.”
According to Ikenga, the party had already instructed its team of lawyers to appeal the case.
“We have instructed our lawyers to immediately take steps to appeal against the judgement. We are only worried for the judiciary. 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 urged APC members not to be distracted by persons, who might still be brooding over their political loss during the APC primary elections , but rather to be steadfast on rebuilding and repositioning the party in Rivers State.
