The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) is one of the bigger losers in the country considering that candidates in the state were unable to participate in the 2019 general election.
This is due to the court judgment barring these candidate from the
election as a result of the state party primaries conducted being termed
illegal and upheld in many court’s jurisdiction and duly followed by
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
Even as supplementary election will be held on April 13th in the
state, the fate of these party candidate is still hanging but a new
development has surfaced to give them a tiny ray of hope as the Supreme
Court has scheduled hearing for the four appeals relating to the
lingering intra-party dispute among members of the APC in Rivers State.
The seven-man panel scheduled the hearing for Thursday, April 4.
According to reports, the four appeals are in relation to the some
interlocutory decisions of the lower courts on the dispute that has
polarised the party and affected the outcome of the primaries conducted
in preparation to the 2019 general elections.
The Justice Ibrahim Muhammad-led seven-man panel adjourned to April 4
after addressing some preliminary issues on the appeals today.
The first of the appeals, marked: SC/ 1972019 was filed by Magnus Abe
and some others, with APC and the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) listed among the respondents.
The court granted the motion by the APC, represented by Jibrin
Okutepa (SAN) for permission to merge the different respondents’ briefs,
earlier filed by the 2nd to the 35th respondents, into a single brief.
It rejected a similar motion filed by the appellants’ lawyer, Henry Bello for leave (permission) to amend the notice of appeal.
The court noted that the motion was defective because Bello failed to
attach the old notice of appeal to the motion, as required. It noted
that the lawyer only attached his proposed amended notice of appeal.
It adjourned to April 4 for hearing, before which the appellants are
to, within 48 hours, filed their reply to the respondents’ brief of
argument.
The other appeals are: SC 295/ 20019, filed by APC, with PDP listed
among respondents; SC266, filed by APC, with Magnus Abe and others as
respondents and SC/267/2019 filed by Tonye Patrick Cole, with Magnus Abe
and 48 others as respondents.
The three appeals were adjourned to April 4 to allow the formal
service of hearing notices and all other processes on INEC, which was
not represented on Monday.
Other members of the seven-man panel of the Supreme Court are:
Justices Olukayode Ariwoola, Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, Amiru Sanusi, Paul
Galinje, Amina Augie, and Uwani Musa Abba Aji.
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