Fresh Leadership Crisis Hits APP Ahead Of Rivers LGA Polls
Ahead of this Saturday’s local government election in Rivers State, the leading party in the contest, the Action People’s Party, APP, has been hit by a major leadership crisis.
Didactic Information Hut reports that a case has been filed at a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt by Hart Badom, Destiny Omereji, and four others against the Rivers State APP chairman, Sunny Wokekoro. Others also joined in the suit are the 23 chairmanship candidates of APP in the upcoming Saturday election, and the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC.
The plaintiff are seeking the reinstatement of Badom as the legitimate State Chairman of APP, calling for the removal of Sunny Wokekoro from the position, challenging the legitimacy of the 23 chairmanship candidates, questioning when they became members of the APP in the state and a declaration that all actions taken by Wokekoro be considered null and void.
Didactic Information Hut reports that presiding judge, Justice Emmanuel Obele has granted an ex parte motion to serve the defendants through substituted means.
Although the Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara is yet to dump the PDP, all his top Loyalists are candidates of the APP for the October 5 local government elections. Fubara had sought political refuge in the APP for his Supporters for the council elections following the taking over of the leadership and PDP structure in the State by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Many of the Councillorship and Chairmanship Candidates of the APP were former members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, before switching to APP amid internal disputes within PDP in the state. Although some Political Analysts are saying that the fact that they have not formally resigned from the PDP may pose some legal challenge to their candidature in another party and mandates if they eventually win the elections.
Meanwhile, a Chieftain of the APP in Rivers State who wouldn’t want his name mentioned has accused the FCT Minister of being behind this recent move to cause crisis in the leadership of the Party since his earlier case through the APC to thwart the local council poll had failed.
Didactic Information Hut recalls that Justice Peter Lifu in delivery judgment in a suit filed by Wike’s Kinsman, Chief Tony Okocha, who serves as the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the APC in Rivers State had ruled against the conduct of the local government election. Justice Lifu also stopped INEC from releasing the voters register and the Police from providing security for the elections.
But RSIEC is relying on an earlier judgment from a Rivers State High Court to continue with the elections.
