The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has stated that the court order prohibiting it from holding its congresses, as expected, has not bothered them.
In suit number PHC/1857/CS/2021, between Stephen Wonah and six others, seven members of the APC loyal to Sen. Magnus Abe obtained an injunction from a state High Court in Port Harcourt on Monday, preventing the party from holding its congresses.
The claimants sued the APC and Isaac Ogbogbula, the state’s caretaker chairman, alleging exclusion from the congress nomination form sales and the congress itself.
They attempted to halt the congresses pending the outcome of the substantive suit in court.
The prayers were granted by the court, which was presided over by Justice Ben. Wyte, and the plaintiffs were ordered to serve the parties using alternate methods.
He also gave the parties 24 hours from the time they received the summons to respond, and he adjourned the case until today.
In a phone interview with The Nation in Port Harcourt yesterday, state party Caretaker Chairman Isaac Ogbogbula said the order was expected even before the congress was held, and questioned why they waited until after the exercise.
“I’m not bothered at all; it was expected,” he said. Even before the congresses, we anticipated it. We had been anticipating it. It’s even a little behind schedule. We will continue to be victorious in all battles to the glory of God.”
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However, according to Ogbogbula, a lawyer, the court order has no bearing on the party’s ward congresses held on July 31 and their results, and that the plaintiffs in the suit admitted that the ward congresses had been held and results declared before the suit, and that the order to maintain the status quo was issued.
“We had already completed our ward congresses, with the results declared and entered when the order was issued on Monday.
“In terms of ward congresses, the order has no bearing on them. In fact, the applicants, who are the plaintiffs in the case, admitted that the ward congresses were completed. So the most recent development, which was the court’s order that we should maintain the status quo, appears to have had no impact on the congresses,” he said.
Ogbogbula accused Abe and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership in the state of working to ensure that the APC never succeeds in the state, but predicted that they would fail.
“Sen. Abe and his cronies will always conspire with Governor Nyesom Wike to bring down the APC because they are afraid of having to compete with us in elections. It was expected to be nothing less. So there’s nothing unusual about it.”
