APC studying court ruling barring it from presenting candidates in Rivers

The All Progressives Congress (APC), says it is studying the Federal High Court ruling, restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising any of its candidates for the forthcoming general elections in Rivers.

APC National Publicity Secretary, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, stated this while reacting to the development on Monday in Abuja.

He said that the party would make its decision on the ruling known to Nigerians soon.

“We have received the news of the judgment of the Federal High Court regarding our candidates for the coming elections in Rivers.

“We are currently studying the decision of the court. We will make our position known to the public in due course,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on Monday restrained INEC from recognising any candidate of the APC for the forthcoming general elections in Rivers.

The court also nullified all nominations of the APC in Rivers for the forthcoming elections.

The court ruled specifically that the APC could not participate in the Governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assembly elections during the polls in the state.

Justice Kolawole Omotosho in his judgment in a suit filed by Sen. Magnus Abe and others, against Rivers APC chapter and others, declared that the APC for failing to respect the law must bear the consequences.

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Abe had taken the APC to court in the last quarter of 2018 after the party’s primaries in the state, which he said was marred with irregularities.

Omotosho held that the direct and indirect primaries of the Rivers APC were illegal, null and void.

According to him, the APC conducted the indirect primaries in gross disrespect of the pending suit before Justice Chinwendu Nwogu of the Rivers High Court.

He noted that the judgment of Justice Chinwendu Nwogu nullifying the primaries of the APC in Rivers was yet to be set aside by an appellate court, hence, it remains valid.

The judge held that the names sent by the Rotimi Amaechi-faction and the National Working Committee of the APC to INEC for the forthcoming general elections were illegal and should be disregarded.

He also said that the direct primaries conducted by the Sen. Magnus Abe faction of the Rivers APC chapter were illegal.

He said both the Abe and the Amaechi factions had no leg to stand, in view of the judgment, hence, both factions were disqualified from participating in the elections.