TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, has said it would challenge the Federal High Court judgement in Port Harcourt, which declared null and void, its primaries that produced the governorship, National Assembly and state House of Assembly candidates for 2019 election.
Spokesman of the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi’s faction, Chris Finebone, in a statement said the party had directed its lawyers to commence appeal process in a higher court.
Finebone noted: “We have just received excerpts of the judgements delivered by Hon. Justice Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt in two separate suits.
“One was filed by Senator Magnus Abe and 49 others seeking the court to declare them candidates of the APC in 2019 general elections in Rivers State, and another filed by the PDP seeking the court to declare that the APC had no candidates for the election. We strongly feel that the trial court missed the mark in some of its decisions
“We totally agree with the court that Senator Magnus Abe and the 48 other members of the party, who claimed to have emerged through an alleged direct primary election, were not and therefore could not be declared candidates of the APC in the 2019 general elections in Rivers State.
READ ALSO: Divided house in Ekiti as 2 Atiku/Obi campaign council factions show up for inauguration
“However, we do not agree with the court that the Davies Ibiamu Ikanya and Peter Odike-led executive committee of the party in Rivers State is still subsisting.
“The APC has the powers to dissolve its executive committee and that power was exercised on May 21, 2018. The APC, having dissolved that exco, it ceased to exist and could not be resurrected, even if the court finds, albeit wrongly, that there was no valid congress to replace the dissolved exco.
“The PDP’s case did not satisfy any of these conditions or circumstances. It is on this note that we strongly believe that APC will get victory in the superior court. We have accordingly instructed our lawyers to review the case and file the appeals immediately, in order not to temper or jeopardise with the already existing legal rights of our candidates before INEC,” Finebone stated.
He, however, urged party members in the state to “remain calm, focussed, undaunted and go about their electioneering business with equanimity. We believe that at the end, victory will be served.”