The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has called on the National Working Committee (NWC) to adhere to a court ruling that reinstated the executive committee led by Chief Emeka Beke.
In a statement released in Port Harcourt on Friday, Darlington Nwauju, the State APC Publicity Secretary, emphasized the importance of respecting the judicial decision.
Recently, a Rivers State High Court, under the guidance of Justice Sika Aprioku, disbanded the Caretaker Committee led by Chief Tony Okocha. The ruling highlighted that the National Working Committee has the authority to dissolve an elected body even while its term is ongoing. Furthermore, Justice Aprioku issued a directive to prevent the Okocha-led committee from undermining the Beke-led executive until their four-year term concludes.
In response, Okocha expressed his disagreement with the ruling during a press conference in Port Harcourt, asserting that the party intends to appeal the decision to reclaim leadership.
However, the APC NWC, meeting in Abuja on Thursday, reaffirmed its recognition of the Okocha-led committee as the legitimate leadership of the party in the state.
Nwauju criticized the NWC’s stance, labeling it a source of embarrassment and disunity within the party in Rivers State. He remarked, “We acknowledge the case PHC/CS/925/2023, presided over by Justice D.S. Kio, where an Ex-parte Order led to the suspension of two party officials.
This order has since expired, and unless we are suggesting that an Ex-parte Order can be preserved indefinitely like an ancient artifact, it should no longer hold sway.”
He continued, “The court has upheld the tenure of the elected executives, so any discussion of conducting new Congresses in Rivers would not only be illegal but also a waste of resources.”
Nwauju further condemned what he described as a national embarrassment for the party and urged NWC members to seek impartial interpretations of the August 12, 2024, judgment, which he claims is the sole relevant ruling concerning the APC executives in Rivers State.
He also mentioned rumors regarding potential suspensions of State Executive Committee members and warned against attempts by certain individuals to create fictitious judgments from an Abuja court aimed at undermining the state executives.
He appealed to the NWC to refrain from causing distractions for the President with misguided political maneuvers that do not contribute positively to the Renewed Hope Agenda.
