December 20, (THEWILL) – A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has nullified congresses of the All Progressives Congress in the state which produced Tony Okocha as chairman of the party.
Justice Godswill Obomanu declared the congress null and void following a contempt of court motion filed by a faction of the party led by Emeka Beke.
While the court had restrained the party, the Rivers APC on November 30 organized congresses which elected Okocha (a two-time Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party) as the new substantive chairman.
Recall that Justice Sika Aprioku of the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt had in August sacked the APC CTC led by Okocha following a suit filed by members of the party including Sam Etetegwung and Banarth Ezemoye.
Justice Aprioku had issued a perpetual injunction against the Okocha-led CTC, restraining them from taking further steps that would distract the Beke-led executive till the expiration of their four-year tenure.
The court also restrained the national leadership of the APC from further recognising the Okocha-led executive. It ordered the party to recognise the Beke-led executive as the authentic executive of the party until the expiration of their four years tenure.
Also, at the notice of the party congresses in the state, Justice Obomanu had issued an ex parte order restraining the APC and its National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, from conducting elective congresses for the Rivers State APC, pending the determination of the issue before the court.
The court had ruled on a motion filed by aggrieved members of the party, including Okwu Joebrown-Ndike, Peace Oganu, and Samuel Uchegbule, who claimed that they were denied nomination forms, despite making payments and as authentic members of the party.
Justice Obomanu had issued an interim injunction, halting the congresses until the motion on notice had been heard and determined.
Defiling the court order, the congresses which produced Chief Tony Okocha as substantive APC chairman in Rivers, were held on November 30.
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