By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
The Rivers APC has ridiculed loyalists of Sen. Magnus Abe for allegedly engaging in activities which it said are meant to mislead the general public for cheap political goals.
The party specifically singled out Barr. Worgu Boms, a core loyalist of Sen. Magnus Abe – governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Rivers State, for making comments about APC’s legal issues which it described as false, misleading and capable of stirring discontent among its members.
In a statement signed by spokesman of its campaign council, Sogbeye Eli, on Tuesday, the Rivers APC wondered how any right-thinking individual, especially of Worgu Boms’ capacity, could spread a false rumour that all the party’s appeals filed at the Appeal Court have been dismissed thereby bringing to an end APC’s quest to be on the ballot in 2023.
The statement reads: “The attention of the Rivers APC 2023 Campaign Council has been drawn to rumuors of the delivery of a judgment by the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt today dismissing all the appeals filed by candidates of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State.
“From our preliminary investigations, this wicked rumour by agents of darkness emanated from a comment by Mr. Worgu Boms in a WhatsApp group. It is regrettable that Rivers people are subjected to a deluge of misinformation by hirelings of politicians condemned to reading judicial processes and decisions thereon upside down for pedestrian political gain. Boms, a one-time Honourable Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Rivers State; member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and loyalist of Senator Magnus Abe, wrote:
“A casualty, just now, befell APC Rivers at the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt!
That’s all I will say.
Good afternoon all!
My name is WorguBoms.”
“Sadly, Boms “law report” in that WhatsApp chatroom laid the foundation for many to misconstrue the dismissal of CA/PHC/523/2022 between Hon. Ojukaye Flag Amachree v. George Orlu & 7 Ors by the Court of Appeal as death for the APC on the 2023 ballot. Shame!!”
The APC, in the statement, then went ahead to make clarifications about the legal matters misrepresented by the Worgu Boms’ comment, noting: “It is pertinent and incumbent on us to present the facts which are distinguishable from the propaganda deliberately stirred by the Boms WhatsApp brigade as follows:
- Hon. Ojukaye Flag Amachree is not a candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the 2023 general elections. He is not one of the 50 candidates the APC is fielding for Governor, Deputy Governor, three senatorial seats, 13 House of Representatives seats and 32 seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly. Thus, not being directly affected by the decision of Justice Emmanuel A. Obile of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt on October 25, 2022 disqualifying all our candidates in the case of George Orlu & Ors, the ill-fate of his appeal today has absolutely nothing to do with the APC or her candidates for the 2023 elections.
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Lawyers for the Rivers APC only yesterday received Notice of judgment in the appeal we filed on the George Orlu case and same is fixed for Thursday, December 15, 2022. Not today.
“Our Campaign Council therefore dismisses this specie of “corruption” of the Judiciary by politicians in Rivers State. We hope that Boms, a very senior lawyer who though risen to the high office of chief law officer of our State has characteristically failed to comport himself, would by this misleading incident purge himself of whatever grievances he bears and commence the process of repentance and withdrawal on the road to perfidy. Boms’ vested political interest does not entitle him to indiscretions with adverse consequences on Rivers State and her people. Not even the untreatable pain of his principal being beaten by Tonye Cole to the APC governorship ticket in 2023 should.”
The party expressed hope that the judiciary would not allow politicians to make jest of it, being the last hope of the common man.
“We are confident that the Judiciary will not allow itself to be transformed to a theatre of the absurd, a platform for mischief, contrivance and butt of political jokes by the antics of vile characters advertising acute ignorance and disrespect for the Judiciary. Members of our great party, supporters of our candidates, well-meaning Rivers people and the general public are also enjoined to disregard the story planted in the social media this afternoon. There is no truth in it howsoever,” the APC noted.
