APC hails judgement on Caretaker Committee in Rivers

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers on Wednesday hailed the Court of Appeal’s judgement affirming the powers of its National Working Committee (NWC) to appoint a caretaker committee.

The Chairman of APC Caretaker Committee in Rivers, Mr Isaac Ogbobula, gave the commendation during a news conference at the party’s secretariat in Port Harcourt.

It was reported that the Court of Appeal had on Tuesday given judgement that the NWC of APC has the power to appoint a Caretaker Committee.

“We commend the Justices of the Court of Appeal for the judgement delivered on Tuesday, particularly in restoring sanity in the party.

“More significantly, sending a clear message to the lower courts to desist from unnecessarily meddling in the internal affairs of political parties, and to stop usurping the constitutionally vested powers and functions of party organs.

“So, we call on genuine members of the APC in Rivers to join hands with the duly recognised caretaker committee in moving the party forward,” he said.

The caretaker committee chairman said the party was not unmindful of alleged moves to use state institutions, especially judicial officers to procure injunctions against the APC in the state.

He said the Rivers chapter of the APC would not be used to lend credence to any charade in the name of local government election.

“We can predict that either they will file an anticipatory suit or a post-Court of Appeal judgement suit with a view to stopping the caretaker committee from performing its functions.

“But we promise that, henceforth, it will not be business as usual,” he said.

According to Ogbobula, the APC in Rivers cannot afford to be distracted anymore by those he called mercantile politicians, who were conniving to shift attention from misgovernance in the state.

He said Rivers’ residents must start to seriously interrogate the policies, programmes and activities of the Rivers Government and invariably the application of state resources.

“Rivers people must be made to consciously resist a situation where one man runs the show in the state; in charge of supplies, contracts, projects and so on, while others wallow in penury and poverty,” he said.