A High Court in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, has nullified the ward, local government, and state congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, which had produced Tony Okocha as chairman.
Presiding over the case, Justice Godswill Ogbomanu ruled today that the party’s congresses violated a court order restraining them from proceeding and imposed a fine of ₦10 million on the APC.
Reacting to the judgment, Emenike Ebette, counsel for the claimants, commended the decision, stating it upheld justice.
“Justice has been served because the claimants were unfairly treated. When a court issues an order to halt an action, and it is ignored, the court has the authority to nullify such acts to preserve its integrity,” he said.
Meanwhile, counsel for the defendants, William Wobodo, stated that the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) would be informed of the ruling to determine the next steps.
He noted that an appeal challenging the court’s jurisdiction had already been filed at the Court of Appeal (CA/PH/523/2024).
Wobodo emphasized, “The Supreme Court has previously ruled, in the case of Aguma versus Dele Moses, that the internal affairs of a political party, such as the APC, are matters solely for the party to decide.”
