Tony John, Port Harcourt
The Senator Magnus Abe-led faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has declared its readiness for genuine peace process that would restore oneness in the party.
This is as the camp reiterated its position that no APC congresses have been held in the State, following a High Court ruling that earlier stopped the exercise. The faction, which comprises of the party’s bigwigs and supporters of Abe’s governorship ambition, lauded the court for declaring as null and void the purported APC congresses in Rivers.
Briefing journalists on behalf of the aggrieved party members, yesterday, in Port Harcourt, following the annulment of the congresses by Justice Chiwendu Nwogu, the immediate past Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Worgu Boms, declared that the “directive and language” were clear.
Boms stated that by the position of the court ruling on the matter, no ward, local government and state congresses were held, and any products (new officials) were illegal and unrecognized.
Boms said: “You already know the history of this matter beginning from the attack on the court, the delivering of the ruling, announcement before the ruling that they won’t obey the order, disobedience of the order before they went ahead with the congresses and the cancellation and rescheduling of the congresses all by themselves, and on the holding of the congresses on Saturday, Sunday and early morning of Monday in a village community hall in Elekahia”.
According to the former commissioner, the rule has come to stay. His words: “An order of mandatory injunction is hereby granted restoring the status quo of the party in this suit, that is Ibrahim Umar and 22 others against APC, restoring it to what it was on Friday, May 11, 2018, when the order of interlocutory injunction was granted, and in particular setting aside as null and void, and of no effect whatsoever, the purported respondents ‘ ward congresses on Saturday, May 12, 2018, Saturday, May 19, local government congresses of Sunday and State congress of Monday, May 21, 2018 in Rivers State, and restraining the respondent, that is, APC whether by its officers, agents, committees, nominees from carrying out any congress pending the determination of the court”.
The spokesperson of the faction said the group has resolved to work assiduously to reposition APC in Rivers, to “normalcy, cohesion, mutual respect and friendship.