The Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt has ordered a stay of execution of the High Court order by Justice Chinwendu Nworgu stopping the ward, local and State Congresses of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressive Congress.
The presiding Judges, Justice Isaiah Akeju, Justice Jumbo Offor and Justice S.B. Sanga in suit PHC/198/2018, between Ibrahim Umar and APC, also dismissed the application for stay of proceeding.
The Appeal panel led by Justice Isaiah Akeju also recognized Tuduru Edeh as the Counsel for the APC in Rivers state.
The panel agreed that Muiz Banire who is the National Legal Adviser of the APC is constitutionally empowered to authorize any Legal practitioner or private attorney to represent the APC.
Justice Akeju further dismissed the application of the twenty three aggrieved members of the APC for lack of merit.
The Appeal Court however dismissed the application of the APC (Ojukaye Flagg-Amachree led faction) requesting for stay of proceedings at the lower court.
Ruling in the applications, Justice Akeju granted the request of the appellant for the transmission of the substantive matter into the appeal record.
However, counsel for the parties who spoke with Journalists outside the courtroom gave different interpretations on the ruling.
The lead counsel for APC, Tuduru Edeh, said the implication of the ruling of the court is that the delegates elected during the Congresses of the party would attend the convention of the party on Saturday, adding that the new executives in the State remains intact.
On his part, Henry Bello, counsel for the 23 aggrieved APC members, told newsmen that the ruling of the court meant that statutory delegates would attend the convention, noting that it also meant that the Ojukaye Flag-Amachree and others cease to be executives of the party in the state
Meanwhile, Prince Peter Odike, factional Acting Chairman of APC in the State, said with the judgement, his led Exco would be representing the party at the national convention.
He said “By the ruling of today, we are the eligible delegates to represent the state at our party national convention.
“Today the court has let the world know that the Ojukaye Flag Amachree’s purported exco is no longer recognized. I am the Acting Chairman of APC in the state and it stands to be so. I will be in the convention on Saturday with my executive members.”
