The leadership battle within the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress APC has taken a fresh turn.
Following a crucial Court of Appeal ruling in Port Harcourt, both rival factions are now claiming legal victory
The Emeka Beke faction is demanding immediate reinstatement by the National Working Committee, while the Tony Okocha faction, backed by the national secretariat, insists it remains the only legitimate authority
The primaries by political parties are over. But for the APC in Rivers State, it is back to crisis mode over who is the legally recognised state executive.
This follows Friday’s appellate court judgement which has again pitted Emeka Beke group against Tony Okocha group.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, spokesperson for the Beke faction, Darlington Nwauju, slammed the national leadership, describing the past months as a period of unconstitutional acts and accusing the NWC of disobeying multiple court orders.
Nwauju argues that the Court of Appeal sustained an earlier judicial order which nullified the November 2024 congresses.
He warned that the party risks fielding no candidates in upcoming elections if the NWC fails to fix the breach. The Beke camp is now threatening lawful steps to force the electoral umpire, to accept their nominated candidates.
But the Tony Okocha-led faction is brushing off the threats. In a telephone interview with AIT.live, Okocha’s publicity secretary, Chibike Ikenga, dismissed the Beke camp’s claims entirely asserting that his group relies on a completely separate court judgement which threw out a rival suit over lack of jurisdiction.
He insists the Okocha-led executive remains the sole recognised body.
As both sides trade conflicting legal interpretations, the confusion deepens. With neither faction backing down, Rivers State APC stakeholders and supporters are left waiting to see who takes ultimate control.
The APC national leadership has not yet issued an official statement regarding Friday’s appellate court decision.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
