The All Progressives Congress, APC, Rivers State chapter has responded to its National Working Committee, NWC, regarding its response to the reinstatement of the Emeka Beke-led executives in the state.
In a statement released on Friday by Publicity Secretary, Darlington Nwauju, the state chapter expressed concern that the NWC’s response indicates a deviation from the rule of law.
The statement voiced disbelief that a major organ of the ruling party could disregard a legitimate court decision in a democratic society, an action it said could deter investors.
It emphasized that a business environment cannot thrive without the rule of law.
“The response casts Nigeria as a country operating outside the rule of law, yet, this is a Party and Government that resorts to the courts of the land from time to time.
“Without resorting to throwing punches or unreasonable diatribes, our very first response is that of utter consternation as to how a serious organ of the ruling party could fall for the calamitous mistake of scorning at a valid decision of Court in a constitutional democracy.
“The danger signal is incalculable and has the potency to scare away investors as no business or investment can thrive in an atmosphere bereft of the rule of law.”
The state chapter of the party clarified that court bailiffs have correctly delivered the court’s decision to the National Secretariat.
It further said that no one is authorized to act on behalf of the APC Rivers State chapter without approval from the officially elected leaders under Emeka Beke, adding that acting otherwise would violate the court’s order and compel the state chapter to seek judicial intervention.
Nwauju, in the statement also refuted claims by Deputy National Secretary of the APC, Festus Fuanter, who “incorrectly” stated that the court had dissolved the APC Rivers State executives.
The statement criticized Fuanter’s understanding of the situation and the judgement that reinstated the state executives as flawed.
It said, “We must say without equivocation that the activities of the current NWC are constituting a great cog in the wheel of progress for our great party and communicate a rather taciturn posture to party cohesion while debasing pluralism of thoughts and encouraging dissent.
“With the greatest respect, references made by Mr Fuanter on behalf of the NWC alluding to the existence of a mystery suit which “sacked” all elected APC Executives in Rivers State and an appeal lodged at the Court of Appeal by the State Chairman challenging same is grossly misleading and should have been produced in court as part of evidence to justify the illegal decision made on November 22 2023.
“Nigerians are invited to peruse the entire forty-eight (48) page judgment delivered by Justice S.H. Aprioku in Suit No. PHC/CS/3592/2023. For the sake of emphasis, the suit in question was instituted on behalf of aggrieved members of the State Executive Committee by the Secretary of the Rivers State chapter of the APC and not the Chairman.
“We are aware of Suit No. PHC/CS/925/2023 which was handled by Justice D.S. Kio of the Rivers State High Court and the decision of that Court (which was a vacation court) to ‘suspend’ two officers of our party via an Ex-parte Order and that this has since elapsed with the effluxion of time (14 days), unless, we are now saying that an Ex-parte Order can be mummified like the Egyptian Pharaohs and preserved as part of our own political tourist attraction!
“It is quite amazing that in the past few days, Nigerians have been freely served with dishes full of inconsistent stories by the major beneficiary of the illegality foisted on the party in Rivers State, one Tony Okocha, who in one breath on national television, referred to the ruling delivered by Honourable Justice S.H. Aprioku as “procured” judgement but in another breath “wags his tail” over the rulings delivered by Justice D.S. Kio of the Rivers State High Court (April 2023) and P.O. Lifu of the FHC Abuja (August 2024); both judges entertained matters sitting as vacation judges and the ousted illegal Caretaker Committee Chairman has not come out to tell Nigerians why these judges sat as vacation judges and delivered rulings which serves his desperate political agenda of balkanizing the APC in Rivers State and poisoning it with the PDAPC “cancerous” virus.”
The APC Rivers State chapter condemned the current NWC’s actions, describing them as obstructive to party progress and detrimental to party unity.
It urged the NWC to seek an unbiased interpretation of the judgment that reinstated the Beke-led executives and avoid actions that could distract President Bola Tinubu from his Renewed Hope Agenda.
Additionally, the statement addressed rumours of attempts to suspend the state executives and alleged plans to secure a judgment from an Abuja High Court by individuals acting out of desperation.