Again, Court Stops Proposed Rivers APC Congress

Again, Court Stops Proposed Rivers APC Congress

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Less than 48 hours after a High Court in Port Harcourt cleared the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State to conduct its ward, local government and state congresses, another court has restrained the party from going ahead with the congresses.

LIST OF APPLICATIONS FOR REGULARISATION OF AREA COUNCIL LAND DOCUMENTS NULLIFIED/CANCELLED BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF FCT

Ruling today, in the suit number PHC/4355/2019, filed by Hon Igo Aguma against Mr Isaac Abott Ogbobula, Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee in Rivers State, the APC and its National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, Justice A. U. Kingsley-Chuku ordered that the congresses be put on hold.

The judge ruled that “the defendants are to forthwith stop, refrain or desist from carrying out any other or further acts or activities with respect to or in furtherance of the subject matter of this suit or the pending applications as a mark of respect to the court and to avoid foisting a fait accompli to the court with respect to whatever shall be the outcome of the pending applications.”
The case was adjourned to January 27, 2020 for definite hearing.

A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had thrown out the originating summons brought by one Ibrahim Umar and 22 others against the party.

Also setting aside an interim injunction obtained by the claimants on September 14, 2019, which stopped the APC from conducting the congresses in Rivers State scheduled for September 17, 18 and 21, the presiding judge, Justice G.O Ollor, ruled that the court lacked the power to enforce and interpret the judgment of the court of coordinate jurisdiction.

Justice Ollor also ruled that the interim order of injunction obtained by Ibrahim Umar and others was gotten without jurisdiction of the court and thereby set aside the order and thereafter awarded N100,000 as cost in favour of the APC.
Describing the judgment as the beauty of justice, counsel to the claimants, Henry Bello, vowed to appeal the judgment based on the instruction of his clients.

One of the counsels to APC, Jerome Williams, described the judgment as a landmark, which has given the party the opportunity to go ahead to conduct its congresses in Rivers State.

However, with the ruling of today, the party will have to wait to January 27, 2020 to know what next.