APC Fumes, Says Rivers Court Lacks Jurisdiction To Sack Okocha Led Caretaker Committee, Reinstate Beke

Akinwale Kasali

The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State is yet to abate as one of its factions has frown at the verdict of the Rivers State High Court which reinstated the Emeka Beke as the substantive Chairman of the Party.

APC said that the Court has no jurisdiction to sack the Tony Okocha Led Caretaker Committee, and nullify the sacking of the Beke-Led Committee.

It would be recalled that Justice Sika Aprioku had, on Monday, ruled that the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party erred in dissolving the elected executives led by Beke.

The Judge stated that the APC NWC neither has the power to dissolve an elected executive of a State, nor set-up a caretaker committee when the tenure of the elected executive is still running.

But the Spokesman of Rivers APC Caretaker Committee, Chibuike Ikenga, warned that the judgment cannot override an earlier one granted by the Supreme Court.

He said, “It (the sack) is an effort in futility. The reason is that the Supreme Court has made pronouncements and taken decisions as to issues that pertain to the internal affairs of a political party, which are justifiable before any court.

“Therefore, what we have seen was also a choreographed judgment, in the sense that the judge and a couple of his colleagues are dancing to the tune of the Rivers State government. The judgment itself is a clear indication of those coalitions you have seen from haters of President Bola Tinubu and the move to take him out of power after losing the election serially in Rivers State.

“We have spoken to our lawyers and they will appeal accordingly. By the way, our party has given us the power to continue to act because it is strictly the internal affairs of the party. We are not under any form of pressure. As you can see, we are still going about our busy because we know the position of the law.

“The court cannot force people removed for anti-party activities to lead us in the state. These people left the campaign for President Bola Tinubu and supported Atiku Abubakar of the PDP. It was based on that they were dissolved.”

The Okocha-led Executive is loyal to FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who ironically, still proclaims himself as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, while the Beke-led Executive  is loyal to former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, the “founder” of APC in the State.

Both Amaechi and Wike were Governors of Rivers State. Wike, during Amaechi’s first tenure as Governor, was his Chief of Staff. Both have, however, gone their separate ways, and are bitter political enemies.