By OBSERVERS TIMES
The leadership crisis within the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has intensified, with two rival factions interpreting a recent Court of Appeal ruling to bolster their conflicting claims to legitimacy.
On Friday, the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal ruled on an appeal filed by the APC National Executive Committee against a High Court injunction that had restrained the party from conducting its congresses in Rivers State. The appellate court determined that matters concerning the internal affairs and leadership of a political party are not justiciable, effectively nullifying the earlier High Court order and dismissing the suit brought by Peter Ohochukwu on behalf of the dissolved state working committee led by Emeka Beke.
In a swift response, the faction loyal to Chief Tony Okocha hailed the judgment as a victory and a validation of its leadership. Chibike Ikenga, the faction’s Publicity Secretary, stated in a release that the decision reaffirmed Okocha’s position as the party’s chairman in the state.
Conversely, the Emeka Beke faction dismissed the Okocha camp’s interpretation of the ruling as misleading. Darlington Nwauju, the Beke faction’s Publicity Secretary, clarified that the Court of Appeal ruling pertained solely to an interlocutory appeal and did not invalidate the earlier High Court judgment affirming Beke’s leadership. He emphasized that the ruling did not alter the judgment delivered by Justice Sika Aprioku on August 12, 2024, which validated the tenure of the Beke-led executive until October 21, 2025.
