- The Court awarded N300,000 in favour of Beke-led APC executive.
- It also reinstated Emeka Beke as Rivers Chairman.
A Rivers State High Court has nullified the appointment of a caretaker committee for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, led by Tony Okocha.
The court declared the committee’s appointment by the APC’s National Working Committee as unconstitutional.
The court restored the democratically elected APC executive in Rivers State, led by Emeka Beke, as the rightful leadership of the party.
This decision was made in response to a lawsuit filed by members of the elected executive.
The court issued a perpetual injunction against the Okocha-led committee, prohibiting them from interfering with the Beke-led executive until their term expires.
The court also ordered the APC’s national leadership to recognize the Beke-led executive as the authentic leadership of the party.
The court reprimanded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for supporting the dissolution of democratically elected APC executives.
It emphasized that political party leaders must respect their own constitutions and avoid arbitrary actions.
The court found that the APC National Working Committee’s actions were unlawful and violated both the party’s and Nigeria’s constitutions.
Consequently, the court awarded costs of N300,000 in favor of the Beke-led executive.
The judge dismissed the defendants’ objections regarding justification and joinder by additional parties.
The court ruled that the Okocha-led caretaker committee’s appointment was invalid and lacked legal basis.