Rivers: APC raises alarm over alleged plot to truncate its ongoing congresses
…fingers Wike, Abe, others
Barth Ndubuwah, Port Harcourt
The All Progressives Congress said it has uncovered a plot to ensure that its ongoing congresses are halted in Rivers State.
This was contained in statement issued in Port Harcourt by the Party’s Spokesman, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke and made available to journalists.
According to the statement, APC alleged that “as part of the plan hatched to encourage Senator Abe to torpedo the APC congress, a matter which has been prepared and kept under wraps by the office of the Chief Judge will be assigned to a vacation judge to handle, with the intention of issuing a restraining order.”
The statement further alleged that “it has come to its knowledge that the embattled Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike is behind the attempt to scuttle its congress using Senator Magnus Abe and the State Judiciary.”
The statement partly reads, “Frustrated by its many futile conspiratorial attempts at stopping the Party from participating in the registration/revalidation exercise and the just concluded Ward Congresses, the enemies have set up yet another scheme.
“Under the current plan, a suit was instigated on the 5th August 2021, filed and kept under the custody of high ranking judicial officer in the State without assignment.
“We have reason to believe, based on credible information reaching us through our sources in the Judiciary that the high ranking judicial official is the Chief Judge, Justice S.C. Amadi.
“We know that the idea is for the Chief Judge to assign the matter to a hand-picked Vacation Judge who will then issue an injunction close to the time that the APC will embark on its Local Government Congresses already scheduled for 4th September 2021.
“According to Law and the Rules of Court, the suit filed on 5th August 2021 does not qualify as a Vacation suit because it was filed at the Registry when a case of extreme urgency did not exist.
“In our view and many lawyers would agree, the matter ought to have been assigned to a Judge presiding over a regular Court.
“But leaving its assignment till after the High Court had proceeded on Vacation from 23rd August 2021, is intended to give it the colouration of urgency and then make it a vacation suit.
“By Law, matters filed during the regular sittings of the Court, cannot be converted to vacation cases but in Rivers State, the Judiciary has become a notorious supermarket and bazaar shop where every and anything goes.
“We note that Governor Wike, relying on the instrumentality of the Rivers State High Court under his apogee CJ, Hon. Justice Simeon C. Amadi, will go to any length to practically handover the Judiciary in the State to Senator Abe and his supporters.
“The aim is to ensure that APC in the State is slowed down in its steady unstoppable progress towards recovering the Brick House come 2023.
“Recall that we had warned that the only reason why Governor Wike clannishly staked everything to appoint Hon. Justice S.C Amadi as CJ above Hon. Justice Joy Akpugunum, the rightful occupant of the position, was for ulterior motives such as this.
“Let the entire World witness for itself how Suit No. PHC/2010/CS/2021: Alalibo Soibibo & 3 Others vs All Progressives Congress & Another, filed during the sitting of the regular Courts, has been transmutted into a Vacation suit just to secure an injunction few hours before the APC’s LGA Congresses.
“The same forces that are backing Abe and his Freedom House are trying to plunge the PDP into a valley of darkness, using the ever available Rivers State Judiciary as a springboard.
“Our lawyers are similarly willing and ever ready to present legal arguments in court when placed on notice, if the idea is to ensure fairness and justice, particularly after a court that handled a similar matter presided over by Justice Ben Whyte adopted the doctrine of ‘functus officio”.
“While we note that the action for which an injunction is required has already commenced; note that it is difficult to separate the forthcoming local government congresses from the ward congresses which have been concluded; we think that it is also necessary to bring this matter before the Rivers people.
“Finally, Lawyers are free to receive all kinds of briefs. The nature of their profession allows this. Somehow, the use of H. A. Bello who has been standing in for Abe’s people by those who are being used to fight Prince Uche Secondus and the PDP in Port Harcourt confirms what we have always known.
“It confirms the fact that Senator Magnus Abe and his supporters are one face of the coin that all of us have been looking at while Wike and his pack of judicial officials represent the other side of the coin.
“Some may say that what we refer to may be a mere coincidence. However, in our view, it is coincidence taken too far. There can be no better proof from our layman point of view of the level of collaboration which exists between the Abe Group and Governor Wike’s wing of the PDP.
“All said, we shall resist any move by Governor Wike and his stormtroopers either in the APC, or the Judiciary to interfere unduly in the internal affairs of our great party,” the statement said.
