Indications emerged on Sunday that the Rivers State delegates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were denied voting rights at the just concluded National Convention of the party which held at the Eagles Square, Abuja on Saturday.
It was gathered that the leadership of the party refused delegates from Rivers State, – both the controversial State executives and the statutory delegates– voting rights in the crucial convention.
A source at the convention told TPCN that the National Convention Committee decided to exclude Rivers State in order to avoid any form of legal contaminations for the newly elected National executives.
Recall that the Senator Magnus Abe’s faction of the party, in May, obtained an interlocutory order from the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt which stopped the congresses of the Rivers State chapter of the party.
The High Court on May 30, subsequently declared the congresses– including the midnight congress that brought the Ojukaye Flag-Amachree’s led executive of the party– null and void.
However, the Amaechi’s faction of the party filed a suit at the Appeal Court and prayed for it to stay/vacate orders of the High Court. The Appeal Court in its ruling on Thursday gave a conflicting judgment that the did not affirm the Chairmanship of Flag-Amachree.
Meanwhile, TPCN learned that the minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Senator Magnus Abe were called for a meeting and informed that delegates from Rivers State would not be allowed to vote.
It was learned that the minister was not happy with the decision and reminded the panel of his contributions to the party but he was turned down.
It was further learned that the decision of the leadership of the party was enforced at the convention ground which excluded Rivers State delegates from participating in the process.
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