Aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Rivers State have approached the state high Court, urging it to grant an order of interlocutory injunction against the party’s membership registration exercise.
The applicants, Sunday hawkings, Julius Ndugbere, Lucky Nweke Florence Deigh and Anthony Nwauche prayed the court to grant an order of interlocutory injunction against the national executive of the APC from conducting membership registration exercise without validly elected ward executives.
Justice Ngbor Abina refused to grant the order on the basis that the respondents were not served notice of the motion.
The judge, however, granted a leave for the applicants to serve the originating summons on the respondents through substituted means.
He further adjourned the matter to December 11 for motion on notice.
APC blames Wike
A chieftain of the APC in Rivers State, Chris Finebone has blamed the governor Nyesom Wike and some “elements within the APC” for the latest court case.
Finebone said that a flurry of cases against the APC through the courts in Rivers State is expected to unravel in the days ahead with the intention to roll back the expected exodus of PDP members into the APC nationwide.
He said: “Last Thursday Dec 3, 2020 after the sitting of the PDP vs Hon. Ephraim Nwuzi court hearing and while still within the court premises, I obtained credible information through my reliable insiders in the State government that Gov. Nyesom Wike and the PDP in Rivers State have hatched a plot to destabilize the All Progressives Congress (APC) nationwide by making available Rivers State courts to enemies of the APC (within and from outside the State) to file all manner of cases against the APC with a view to destabilizing the party as politics of 2023 approaches.
“Adumbrating further, the source disclosed that the decision was hatched at the highest level of government directly involving the state governor and his closest allies in the PDP following the successful defection of Gov. Umahi of Ebonyi State to the APC – an action that pitched the Ebonyi governor against his Rivers counterpart, Nyesom Wike. The decision is to forestall or, at least, frustrate the likes of Umahi who are reportedly warming up to dump the PDP in future as speculations are rife that many more governors and leaders in PDP are about jumping ship.
“While still investigating the story further through other sources, news has come out that barely 24 hours after an APC NEC meeting held and far reaching decisions were taken on the affairs of the party, a group in Rivers APC has filed a fresh suit against the membership re-validation exercise announced by the party.
“Preliminary investigation to unravel those behind the suit revealed that it is the same tendencies within the APC in Rivers State that have been working in cahoots with the Rivers State Government to weaken and sequestrate the APC in Rivers State using the State courts that are at work again.
“As things stand, a flurry of cases against the APC through the courts in Rivers State is expected to unravel in the days ahead with the intention to roll back the expected exodus of PDP members into the APC nationwide. The intention is also to distract the APC from consolidating and becoming even stronger for the PDP in future.”
