ADC Aspirant Withdraws Court Challenge, Paving Way for Party Unity in Rivers

The political storm over who would fly the African Democratic Congress flag in Khana State Constituency I has quietly fizzled out. A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on Wednesday dismissed a suit filed by Legborsi Nwiabu, an ADC aspirant, who had contested the emergence of Bright Nulee as the party’s candidate for the Rivers State House of Assembly seat.

The case took an unexpected turn when Felix Beragbara, counsel to the plaintiff, told Justice Muhammed Turaki that his client had decided to discontinue the legal action against the ADC, Nulee, and the Independent National Electoral Commission. The move came after the party’s Peace and Reconciliation Committee in Rivers State, led by Emma Chindah, stepped into the fray to broker a truce.

Beragbara made the oral application to withdraw the suit during Wednesday’s proceedings, and no objections were raised by the defendants’ legal teams. The only request came from INEC’s counsel, who asked for costs. Justice Turaki granted the application, dismissed the suit, and ordered Nwiabu to pay N50,000 in costs to INEC.

Speaking to journalists after the hearing, Beragbara explained that his client had chosen to put the party above personal ambition. He said the parties had been in talks over the past weeks, and that Nwiabu, a loyal party man, was persuaded by senior party figures to drop the case. The plaintiff also acknowledged the interventions of the party’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Raph Nwosu, and its governorship candidate, Gabriel Pidomson.

Beragbara said, “We accepted to go and explore the option of settlement of this matter out of court. So, throughout this period, the parties have been discussing, they’ve been talking with our client. And our client being a very good party man, who desires the success of his party and who elevates the interest of his party beyond or above his own personal interest, chose to ditch his own personal interest, in favour of the collective interest of the entire party, to ensure that the party stands strong and is able to present a candidate in the forthcoming election. That’s what motivated him, after he was approached by leading members of the party to step down his suit and to sheath his sword.”

Meanwhile, counsel for the ADC, the party’s candidate for Khana State Constituency I, and INEC all declined to comment on the proceedings. With the legal hurdle cleared, the party can now focus on presenting a united front ahead of the upcoming election.