The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt has upheld a Rivers State High Court judgment nullifying the All Progressives Congress (APC) congresses that produced Chief Tony Okocha and his executive committee in Rivers state.
The ruling effectively validates the earlier decision of the lower court which invalidated the emergence of the leadership loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The appellate court, presided over by Justice Elfreda Oluwayemisi Williams-Dawodu, on Friday affirmed the December 20, 2024 judgment of Justice Obomanu of the Rivers State High Court.
Justice Obomanu had ruled that the APC congresses conducted in the state, which produced Okocha and other exco members, were not valid, Daily Trust reported.
The sacked executives had approached the Court of Appeal seeking to overturn the decision, but the appellate court upheld the earlier ruling.
Following the judgment, legal interpretations suggest that all actions, decisions and representations made by the Tony Okocha-led executive between December 20, 2024 and the present may be rendered invalid.
Political observers also note that candidates presented by the party under the disputed leadership structure ahead of elections in the state could face uncertainty over their legitimacy.
Reacting to the ruling, the APC leadership in Rivers State dismissed suggestions that the judgment had removed the current executive council.
In a statement issued on Saturday, May 30, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Chibike Ikenga, said the Court of Appeal decision was interlocutory in nature and did not dissolve the exco.
“There is no threat to the status of the EXCO pending full trial. Our Lawyers will study the full judgment and advise on the next step,” Ikenga stated.
He further urged party members to remain calm, insisting that the matter had been referred back to the trial court for continuation of proceedings.
“We advise party faithful to remain calm and not panic by the deliberate misrepresentation of the facts and circumstances of the judgement by those who lack in-depth knowledge of what transpired in the Court,” he added.
