A factional state chairman of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Rivers State, Emeka Beke, has written to the party’s new national chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, seeking recognition by the party’s national leadership.
Beke asked Yilwatda to suspend the scheduled Rivers APC local government primary election under the Tony Okocha-led executive committee, saddling him with the leadership under him with the duty.
The factional APC, which stated this while addressing journalists after
submitting a petition at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on
Thursday said he remains the authentic Rivers state chairman of the APC based on the earlier judgment.
He said in a well considered judgement, “the High Court of Rivers State, Port Harcourt Division presided over by the Hon. Justice S. H. Aprioku set aside “the purported dissolution of our client (the Rivers State Executive Committee of the Party) and found that the said State Executive Committee led by Chief Emeka Beke is the valid and subsisting leadership of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State until October, 2025 when its tenure will statutorily elapse.”
Beke insisted that the judgment is still subsisting and binding, having not been set aside by any Court of competent appellate jurisdiction.
“Also, we are aware of the decision of the National leadership of the All Progressives Congress to extend the tenure of office of all elected State Executive Committees to December 2025, and we welcome the said decision.
“We wish to respectfully bring to your notice the judgment of the High Court of Rivers State, Port Harcourt Division, delivered by Hon Justice S.H. Aprioku, which affirmed the subsistence of the tenure of the Chief Emeka Beke led Executive Committee of APC, Rivers State and the judgment of Hon. Justice Obomanu of the High Court of Justice, Rivers State in Suit No. PHC/3859/CS/2024-Okwu Joebrown Ndike & Ors. v. All Progressives Congress & Anor. This invalidated the purported election of the Chief Tony Okocha-led APC, Rivers State executive committee.
“We are members of the State Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress, Rivers State Chapter, and write in that capacity.
“May we extend our warmest congratulations on your well-deserved emergence as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress. We believe that your emergence as National Chairman could not have come at a better moment than this.
“We hereby bring to your attention that following the attempt to unlawfully dissolve the Rivers State leadership structure of the All Progressives Congress sometime in 2023, we filed Suit No through the State Secretary, Sam Etetegwung. PHC/3592/CS/2023 (Between Sam Sam Etetegwung Vs. His Excellency, Abdullahi Ganduje & Ors.), challenging the validity and propriety of the said dissolution at the High Court of Rivers State, Port Harcourt Division.
“We humbly appeal to the National Chairman to use his good office and suspend the scheduled local government primaries of the APC, Rivers State, led by Chief Tony Okocha, Executive Committee, and direct the Chief Emeka Beke-led Executive Committee to superintend the entire process, the Chief Emeka Beke-led Executive Committee being duly recognised by law.
“Flowing from the above, therefore, we express our desire to work with the new national leadership of the Party in actualising the lofty ideals of the Party, particularly in Rivers State,” he added.
