From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Serving Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmen of the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State have expressed concerns over looming crisis in the state, following a fresh case at the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt.
The matter is about the sacked chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The chairmen, who spoke on the platform of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), have also called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen, and the National Judicial Council (NJC), to intervene in the matter.
Briefing newsmen on behalf of the PDP council chairmen in Port Harcourt, Tuesday, Legal Adviser of ALGON and chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Osi Olisa, pointed out that the case at the Court of Appeal is also before the Supreme Court and adjourned till January 23, 2018.
Olisa stated that the embattled APC chairmen, who were purportedly elected into office in May, 2015, by the administration of former governor Chibuike Amaechi, were sacked by the Federal High Court.
He further said that the Federal High Court nullified the elections on grounds that they were conducted in disobedience of its orders and while the matter was still pending before it.
According to him, when the 23 sacked chairmen, who were represented in a suit by Augustine Ngo against the PDP, approached a State High Court to validate their elections, the court also dismissed the case.
ALGON Legal Adviser wondered why a case pending at the apex court would be heard by a lower court, and described it as judicial recklessness.
He said: “Inexplicably, on June 20, 2016, the Court of Appeal in appeal No: CA/PH/26M/2016, granted some members of the All Progressives Congress leave to appeal against the ruling of Federal High Court, which set aside the purported election.