… Accuses judge of bias
By: Felix Ikpotor
Caretaker Committee Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State, Chief Tony Okocha has said his party would challenge the judgement of a High Court in the State which removed him and his committee as chairman and executives of the party.
Justice Sika Aprioku of the Rivers State High Court had earlier on Monday, delivered a judgement nullifying the sacking of the Chief Emeka Beke-led executives of the party.
The Court ruled that the National Working Committee of the APC erred in dissolving an elected executive led by Emeka Beke.
Justice Aprioku held that the APC NWC does not have the power to dissolve an elected executive of a state nor set up a caretaker committee when the tenure of the elected executive is still running.
He therefore, sacked the Caretaker Committee of the party in the State led by Chief Tony Okocha and reinstated the Chief Emeka Beke-led executives.
Justice Aprioku further barred Tony Okocha and members of the CTC from further parading as executives of the APC in Rivers State.
However, Okocha said his party would challenge the decision in a higher court.
Okocha, who stated this while reacting to the judgment, accused the judge of bias vowing that the decision would not stand.
He argued that there are several judgements of the Supreme Court which barred courts from delving into intra party affairs, adding that the decision of the National Working Committee to sack the Emeka Beke-led EXCO was justified.
He also said the matter in court has become academic as he has been issued a letter of reappointment by his party.
“What is more to say to you gentlemen of the press is the fact that the matter in court which the judge had gone ahead to do what he did to justify the money he was given had become academic. Those who went to court went to court to challenge my appointment. We have passed that stage, I have been reappointed; they should go back and argue that one, that other one is already stale.
“So I want to assure you and our teeming supporters that we are aware of the hands of the monkey inside the soup. We are wiser and much wiser than they think. The judgment was arrested. The judge had prepared the judgment for 9:00am but he was taken to Government House to see what he had written that’s why it was delayed till 12:00 noon.
“We will challenge whatever they have done at the court of appeal. Thereafter, they or us will go back to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court will decide,” Okocha said.
Speaking further, Okocha said the judge ignored a petition of bias against him by the party and went ahead to deliver the judgement.
“In law and what we know about the judiciary, when a case of bias is raised against a trial judge before the matter commences, what the trial judge does is to recuse himself from the matter. In other words, he could have said I wash my hands off the matter because we have alleged that he was biased and he didn’t even hide it or pretend as though he didn’t see our petition.
“Now, there are plethora of judgments of the Supreme Court, they have said many times, that it is within the purview of the party to decide their day to day affairs and had warned courts to refrain from delving into intra party matters because it is not the court that would decide for the party who their chairman is,” he stated.
He urged members of his party not to be disturbed by the ruling.
“I want to tell members of the APC in Rivers State to remain focused and committed,” Okocha said.
