At the advice of the All Progressives Congress leadership in Rivers State, the National Working Committee has been cautioned against disregarding the court order that restored the Chief Emeka Beke-led executive in the state.
In a statement released in Port Harcourt on Friday, State APC Publicity Secretary, Darlington Nwauju, conveyed this advice.
Previously, a Rivers State High Court ruled by Justice Sika Aprioku removed the Caretaker Committee of APC in the state under Chief Tony Okocha’s leadership, stating that the National Working Committee had the authority to dissolve an elected committee before its tenure ended.
Justice Aprioku also prohibited the Okocha-led CTC from interfering with the Beke state APC leadership until the completion of their four-year tenure.
In response during a press briefing in Port Harcourt, Okocha rejected the ruling, declaring the party’s intention to contest the decision in the Appeal Court.
Meanwhile, the APC NWC in Abuja announced on Thursday that it would uphold the Okocha-led CTC as the legitimate leadership of the party in the state.
In his statement, Nwauju criticized the NWC, denouncing their actions as a national disgrace for causing division within the party in the state.
He stated, “We acknowledge Suit No. PHC/CS/925/2023 overseen by Justice D.S. Kio of the Rivers State High Court and the court’s decision to ‘suspend’ two party officers through an Ex-parte Order, which has since lapsed after 14 days. The elected executives’ tenure in the state has been protected by the court order, therefore, considering fresh Congresses in Rivers State would not only be illegal but also a waste of resources.”
Furthermore, he continued, “We condemn this evident national embarrassment and urge our NWC members to properly interpret and analyze the judgment of August 12, 2024, which is the sole existing judgment concerning the elected APC executives in Rivers State. We have heard rumors of impending suspensions on State Executive Committee members, as well as attempts to fabricate a judgment from an Abuja High Court against the State Executives and retroactively applying it, but we wait to see.”
“In conclusion, we appeal to the NWC to refrain from diverting the attention of our esteemed President with untimely political speculations that contribute no value to the Renewed Hope Agenda,” he added.