A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has reserved judgment in a suit filed by chairmanship candidates of the All Progressives Congress loyal to the Emeka Beke faction over the August 30 local government election primaries.
The suit was filed by Fubara Dagogo and eight others against the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission. The presiding judge, Justice Stephen Jumbo, adjourned the matter to November 5 after listening to arguments on whether the case was statute-barred.
The applicants are seeking an injunction stopping the commission from recognising the outcome of the APC primaries held on August 4 or any other date, insisting they were unlawfully substituted. They claim that the list submitted to the commission on August 7 did not reflect the authentic winners.
The crisis stems from the leadership tussle within the Rivers APC, with rival factions led by Emeka Beke and Tony Okocha laying claim to the party structure in the state. The court’s ruling is expected to clarify the status of the candidates ahead of the local government exercise.
