Rivers court lacks jurisdiction to sack Okocha-led committee – APC

The ruling All Progressives Congress has kicked against the removal of the Tony Okocha-led caretaker committee, saying the Rivers State court lacks the power to take such action.

The warning comes a few hours after a Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt nullified the sacking of the Emeka Beke-led executive of the APC in Rivers State.

The court presided over by Justice Sika Aprioku, on Monday ruled that the National Working Committee of the party erred in dissolving the elected executives led by Emeka Beke.

The judge stated that the APC National Working Committee does not have the power to dissolve an elected executive of a state nor can set up a caretaker committee when the tenure of the elected executive is still running.

He therefore barred Tony Okocha and members of the CTC from further parading as executives of the APC in Rivers State.

But the caretaker committee kicked, insisting that the reverse was the case.

In an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday, the Spokesman of Rivers APC Caretaker Committee, Chibuike Ikenga, warned that the judgment can’t override an earlier one granted by the Supreme Court.

He said, “It (sack) is an effort in futility. The reason is that the Supreme Court has made pronouncements and taken decisions as to issues that pertain to the internal affairs of a political party, which are justifiable before any court.

“Therefore, what we have seen was also a choreographed judgment, in the sense that the judge and a couple of his colleagues are dancing to the tune of the Rivers State government. The judgment itself is a clear indication of those coalitions you have seen from haters of President Bola Tinubu and the move to take him out of power after losing the election serially in Rivers State.

“We have spoken to our lawyers and they will appeal accordingly. By the way, our party has given us the power to continue to act because it is strictly the internal affairs of the party. We are not under any form of pressure. As you can see, we are still going about our busy because we know the position of the law.

“The court cannot force people removed for anti-party activities to lead us in the state. These people left the campaign for President Bola Tinubu and supported Atiku Abubakar of the PDP. It was based on that they were dissolved.”