In a fresh twist to the internal wrangling within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, a Port Harcourt High Court has issued an ex-parte order temporarily suspending the party’s congresses in the state. The order, issued on November 19, 2024, follows claims by some party members that they were unfairly excluded from the congress process.
The court’s decision temporarily halts the activities of the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC), which had begun the congresses on November 16, starting with ward-level exercises. This legal action highlights ongoing tensions within the Rivers APC, which have been further complicated by a broader political backdrop.
The claimants in the case—Okwudili Ndike, Peace Oganu, and Samuel Uchegbule—allege they were denied access to nomination forms despite having paid for them. Represented by their legal team from Binary Law Consult, they filed the suit (PHC/3859/CS/2024) and secured an injunction restraining the APC and its national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, from proceeding with the congresses or inaugurating any outcomes from the ward-level elections.
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Interestingly, the court order coincides with another significant political development: the Nyesom Wike-backed faction of the Rivers APC suffered a setback at the Federal Appeal Court in Abuja. The court overturned a Federal High Court decision that had nullified the state’s October 6, 2024, local government elections, which were swept by Governor Sim Fubara’s political allies under the Action Peoples Party (APP).
Legal experts and party insiders are now questioning the potential impact of the High Court’s directive. Similar restraining orders in the past, such as one against the Rivers PDP congresses, were ignored without consequence, leaving room for speculation about whether this latest ruling will be enforced.
The Tony Okocha-led faction of the APC, aligned with the party’s NWC, has yet to issue a formal response to the court’s decision. Meanwhile, this development adds another layer of complexity to Rivers State’s already charged political atmosphere, with ramifications likely to ripple through the party’s state and national structure.
As the situation unfolds, the focus remains on whether the APC’s leadership will comply with the court order or proceed with its congresses, further stoking intra-party tensions in a state already fraught with political rivalries.
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