The lingering legal tussle over the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State has moved to the Supreme Court as the Chief Cyril Ogodo-led leadership of the party has asked the apex court to set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which had sacked it and reinstated Jones Erue leadership as the Executive Committee of the party in the state.

Specifically, the Court of Appeal had in a judgment delivered by Justice Jimi Olukayode Bada, Chidi Nwaoma Uwa and Muhammed L.Shuaibu on May 19 set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court, Asaba Division, which had upheld the Ogodo-led Executive Committee as the authentic leadership of the party in Delta State.

The Federal High Court, Asaba Division, had on March 18 sacked the Jones Erue-led executive of the party in Delta State. The court had also voided the participation of Senator Ovie Omo Agege and Chief Great Ogboru as the APC candidates in the 2019 elections in Delta.

The court’s decision followed the case filed by the Cyril Ogodo-led faction, urging the court to recognise it as the authentic APC executive. The Ogodo-led faction had also urged the court to sack the Erue-led executive which produced Mr. Omo Agege and Mr. Ogboru as the party’s candidates.

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The court in it judgment similarly upheld the full template of the Ogodo faction’s candidates, including Dr. Pat Utomi, O’tega Emerhor and Ima Niboro as the party’s authentic candidates in the just concluded elections.

The Ogodo faction fielded Mr. Emerhor for the Delta Central Senatorial District election and Mr. Niboro for the Ughelli North/South/Udu Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives.

However, not satisfied, the Erue-led faction and the Indepedent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had gone to the Court of Appeal to challenge the decision of the lower court. The Court of Appeal in a unanimous decision allowed the appeal and restored the Erue-led leadership on the grounds that the matter was filed out of time and therefore statute barred.