Rivers APC Leadership Urges National Committee to Respect Court Order
In a statement released on Friday, the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has advised the National Working Committee (NWC) not to disobey a court order that reinstated the Chief Emeka Beke-led executive in the state.
The State APC Publicity Secretary, Darlington Nwauju, made this call in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, following a court ruling that sacked the Caretaker Committee (CTC) of APC in the state led by Chief Tony Okocha. The Rivers State High Court, presided over by Justice Sika Aprioku, held that the party’s National Working Committee had the power to dissolve an elected executive while its tenure was still running.
Justice Aprioku also restrained the Okocha-led CTC from distracting the Beke state APC leadership pending the expiration of their four-year tenure. However, Okocha rejected the ruling, saying the party would head to the Appeal Court to reclaim its mandate.
The APC NWC on Thursday in Abuja also refused to recognize the court’s decision, saying it would continue to recognize the Okocha-led CTC as the party’s authentic leadership in the state. However, Nwauju slammed the NWC’s actions, describing them as a national embarrassment that was causing disunity within the party’s fold in the state.
Nwauju urged the NWC to respect the court’s order and refrain from distracting the President with ill-timed political innuendos. He also appealed to members of the NWC to guide themselves properly by getting a neutral interpretation of the judgment and digesting it.
“We condemn this obvious national embarrassment on our party and plead with members of our NWC to guide themselves properly by getting a very neutral interpretation of and digesting the judgment of August 12 2024, as this is the only existing judgment anywhere in Nigeria as touching elected Executives of APC in Rivers State,” Nwauju stated.
The APC in Rivers State has been embroiled in a leadership crisis for some time, with the Okocha-led CTC and the Beke-led executive both claiming legitimacy. The court’s decision is seen as a major setback for Okocha and his supporters, while the Beke-led executive is calling for unity and stability within the party.
As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the parties involved will move forward. For now, the APC in Rivers State is urging calm and unity, while the NWC is refusing to recognize the court’s decision.
