A fresh legal battle has begun in the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), following a court order stopping the party from holding its congress.
Some members of the party, believed to be loyal to Sen. Magnus Abe, secured the injunction at the state High Court sitting in Port Harcourt.
The aggrieved members got the order last Friday evening before the ward congress held on Saturday.
Stephen Wonah, Uzorchi Amadi, Chidi Wegbuom, Banwo Ndubuisi, Endwell Omenke, Emenike Edward Adile and Worlu Wali were named as claimants in the suit filed against the APC, and the Chairman of the State Caretaker Committee of the party, Mr. Isaac Abbot Ogbogbula.
The main suit, which was sealed and served on August 2, was scheduled for hearing on August 5.
The trial Judge, Justice O. Ben Whyte, ordered the APC and its Caretaker Chairman in Rivers APC, Isaac Ogbogbula, to maintain the status quo.
He gave the APC and Ogbogbula 24 hours to respond to the motion for Interlocutory Injunction upon receipt.
The court also gave the claimants 24 hours from the date of the receipt of the defendants’ response to react to their counter affidavit.
The court ordered that the respondents be served by substituted means, at the new APC Secretariat in GRA.
Ben-Whyte said: “The defendants/respondents are given 24 hours from the date of the service of the motion on notice on them to react to the said motion for Interlocutory Injunction.
“The applicants are likewise given 24 hours from the date of the receipt of the defendants/respondents counter affidavit to react to the said counter affidavit.
“However, parties are ordered to maintain the status quo as at today pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for Interlocutory Injunction”.
The seven applicants were said to be aggrieved members of the APC, who paid money to the party’s dedicated account, but were not allowed to obtain forms to partake in the congress.
A similar suit filed prior to the last general election became so problematic that it denied Rivers APC participation at the polls.
Abe recently described the ward congress in the state as a sham, saying APC had continued to bleed following failures of the national leadership of the party to ensure equity and justice to all members.
He said: “The greatest challenge facing the party today is not the threat of litigation, but the inability of the party to stand up to its godfathers and protect the rights of its members across the country, who are daily being openly oppressed and denied their rights and privileges, while the party appears helpless.
“In Rivers State, the party in response to the report of its own membership registration and revalidation committee report publicly directed that membership registration and revalidation to resume in Rivers State.
“Two separate committees and directives were given, both were publicly disobeyed and yet the party did nothing, rather sham ward congresses proceeded as if there are two separate political parties saying different things.”
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