Rivers APC crisis: Supreme Court strikes out Aguma’s case

The Supreme Court on Friday struck out a case filed by Chief Igo Aguma, seeking to be declared the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers.

Justice Amina Augie, who read the lead judgment held that the appeal was academic.

“This appeal is merely an academic venture, lacks merit and is therefore struck out,’’ she read.

Aguma, a chieftain of the APC had filed the suit against the Court of Appeal judgment that set aside the decision of the High Court, which had earlier declared him the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party in the state.

The appeal court sacked Aguma as the caretaker committee chairman of the APC and recognised Isaac Ogbobula, as the authentic caretaker committee leader.

It held that it was the exclusive right of the National Executive Committee of the APC under the party’s Constitution to appoint a Caretaker Committee for any organ of the party.

However, Aguma rejected the judgment, raising some issues, which he said vitiated the verdict of the court of appeal.

He questioned the jurisdiction of the court of appeal to entertain the matter.

He also argued that since the subject matter of the case was already at the Supreme Court, the court of appeal overreached itself by giving the judgment.

Meanwhile, APC and other parties involved in the suit prayed the apex court strike out the appeal for being incurably defective and lacking in merit.

It was reported that Aguma’s faction, after the judgment of the appeal court appointed his Deputy, Ben Chioma, to act temporarily as the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party pending the completion of its appeal at the apex court.