The caretaker chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Igo Aguma, has expressed intention to appeal a ruling of the Court of Appeal on the chairmanship dispute in the state.
Aguma had through his counsel, Emeka Etiaba (SAN), opposed the abridgement of time for the former caretaker committee chairman of the party, Isaac Abott Ogbobula, to compile and file the records of the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt which sacked him from office.
But in a ruling on Wednesday, a three-member panel of justices presided by Justice Stephen Adah agreed with Ogbobula’s counsel, Tuduru Ede (SAN), that the court has powers under Order 21, Rules 3, 4, 6, 8 and 9 of its Rules to abridge the time for compiling of record of appeal. “The motion is nothing but a complete waste of valuable judicial time,” the panel said.
Etiaba had argued on the departure from the rules on the issue of the compiled records and regularisation.
He added, “We may appeal it at the Supreme Court.”
Justice G.O. Omereji of the Rivers High Court in Port Harcourt had on June 9 ruled that the APC acted ultra vires its powers by appointing Ogbobula as caretaker committee chairman of the party in the state on September 6, 2019.
The judge ordered the party to within 48 hours constitute a fresh caretaker committee incorporating Aguma as the chairman and all statutory members of the state executive committee as members in furtherance of the constitution of the APC in articles 12(1)(1)(v), 8(xxx), 9(vi) and 13(4)(xvi).
The panel has fixed July 16 for the hearing of the main appeal and directed service on the parties in the APC and its national chairman.
