By: Felix Ikpotor
Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State, Chief Tony Okocha has threatened to expel those wanting to embarrass the national secretariat of the party through what he described as frivolous suits and judgements.
Okocha issued the threat while reacting to last Friday’s court judgement from a Rivers State High Court presided over by Justice Godswill Obomanu which nullified the congress that produced him as chairman of the party.
Port Harcourt Spectator reports that the court had nullified the congresses following a contempt of court proceeding filed by the camp of Chief Emeka Beke whom the court had earlier reinstated as chairman of the party .
The court had earlier issued an order stopping the conduct of the congresses in the state, but the APC went ahead with the exercise.
However, dissatisfied members of the party, who had earlier secured the order, returned to court asking for nullification of the party congress which was granted by Justice Obomanu.
But Okocha said he was not aware of the processes leading to the suit, adding that the judgement doesn’t hold water as it has no effect on the leadership of the party.
He argued that the National Secretariat of the party led by its chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje and 18 National Working Committee wouldn’t have come to the state to inaugurate him and other members of his executives on December 14, 2024 if there was any such suit.
He said despite extending an olive branch to aggrieved members to join him to build the party, he won’t sit and allow few aggrieved persons embarrass President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the party.
“The day I was sworn-in I extended an olive branch to everybody to join us and build the party but where it becomes impossible, I would not sit down and see them embarrass the party, embarrass Mr President.
“The APC is Mr President’s party. For the National Chairman of the party and eighteen other National Working Committee members to come down here and then anybody is going behind because you think you have the law, you have the cash to throw around and you want to embarrass the national secretariat of our party, I will not sit down here and watch that, I will expel them. It is a political party,” Okocha vows.
Okocha said even though he’s not aware of the processes of the case, he has however, directed the party’s lawyers to appeal the judgement of the lower court.
“Gentlemen, I’m not aware of the processes but even as a law abiding party, we have advised our lawyers to go to Court of Appeal,” he stated.
He further argued that there are plethora of judgements of superior courts barring lower courts from dabbling into party affairs, adding that party decisions remains supreme and that no court can decide for the party who it’s chairman or executives should be.
He said the judgement has no effect on his position as chairman of the party as he and his executives would continue to discharge their duties.
“That judgement as far as we are concern has no effect. We’ll keep doing what we are doing because we are within the armbits of the law, the party is supreme and Justice Obomanu and whoever again they will assign the matter to will not decide for us how we’ll run our party,” Okocha stated.
