Court reserves judgment in Rivers APC leadership dispute

A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has reserved judgment on a suit filed by elected state, local government and ward executives of the All Progressives Congress, APC, under the leadership of Emeka Beke.
The suit is against the party’s National Executive and members of the Seven-Man Caretaker Committee in Rivers State, led by Tony Okocha.

Other defendants in the suit, filed by Sam Sam Etetegwung on behalf of himself and all elected executives of the APC, include the Inspector General of Police, the Nigerian Police, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Etetegwung, Banarth Ezemoye, and Ezekiel Ubom, on behalf of the elected executives of the APC, are challenging the dismissal of the elected executives under Beke’s leadership and the appointment of the caretaker committee led by Okocha by the National Working Committee of the APC.

DAILY POST reports that during the resumed session on Thursday, counsels representing the parties argued and adopted their final written addresses.

The presiding judge, Justice Sika Aprioku, after hearing their arguments, reserved judgment, which will be communicated to the parties within 48 hours.

Justice Aprioku also ruled on an application for joinder by some members of the APC loyal to the Vice Chairman of the APC, South-South, Victor Gideon.

The application was dismissed for lacking merit, and the judge awarded N300,000 (three hundred thousand naira) in favor of the claimants.