Appeal court verdict: Erue-led APC extends olive branch to Ogodo-led APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman in Delta, Mr Jones Erue, has urged the Cyril Ogodo-led faction of the party in the state to join him in rebuilding the party.

Erue made the plea on Sunday in Warri while reacting to the recent judgement of the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City that confirmed him as the authentic APC chairman in the state.

Recall that the Appeal Court had, on Friday, in a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Shaibu, held that the Federal High Court in Asaba lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit because it was an intra-party issue.

The Asaba Federal High Court had on March 18 declared Ogodo-led faction as the elected state executive of the party, a decision that prompted the Erue-led faction to seek legal redress at the appellate court.

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Erue said the judgement was a victory for the people noting that it would usher the return of normalcy into the party.

He added that it would enable the APC in Delta to forge ahead for a healthy political party that could perform its primary assignment of winning elections.

“This press conference is acting as an anchor of hope to beckon on those who have the interest of the party to come together after the judgement that confirmed me as the authentic APC chairman in Delta.

“I am passionately appealing to those who were in court with me to forget the past now that the leadership of the party has been confirmed by the Appeal Court.

” We are saying that there is no victor, there is no vanquish, it is a victory for all the people.

“I am stretching my hands of fellowship to all who were in Court with me to come, this is the time to rebuild, rebuilding is a necessity that takes a group of people forward,” he said.

Erue said that he had cautioned their social medium experts against using the medium to insult any political leaders, noting that this was the right time to use it to redefine the party.

“We should live the old culture of using the social medium to insult those that mean so much to the party. It is only unity that can take us to the promised land,” he said.

Speaking on the plan by the Ogodo-led faction to challenge the Appeal Court judgement at the Supreme Court, Erue said they should not waste their resources on things that would further divide the party.

“The money spent to seek legal redress without looking at the internal mechanism of the party could have been used in developing our party.

” Everybody has right to seek legal redress but there is always an end to litigation, so what we are asking is put an end to litigation and move the party forward.

“If Supreme Court reaffirmed me as the chairman, we will still come to a roundtable and find a political solution to our problem.

” So those threatening to go to the Supreme Court, my passionate appeal is that why not we make good use of our time and resources.

“Rather than wasting it on things that will not bring a good result to us as a party,” Erue said.