The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, capital of River’s state has granted stay of execution of the lower court’s judgement nullifying all the primaries of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Rivers State and has restrained INEC from fielding the party’s candidate in the forthcoming election.
In January, Justice Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt had nullified both the direct and indirect primaries conducted by two factions of the party and restrained INEC from recognising any candidate of the party for the general elections.
The party had produced two candidates – one faction loyal to Amaechi had produced Tonye Cole as its candidate, while the other faction produced Senator Magnus Abe
The party’s National Secretariat had recognised Cole as its own candidate and subsequently forwarded his name to INEC.
Abe filed a suit and the court said that both primaries were illegal and should be disregarded. Omotosho of the High Court had said both primaries were held during the pendency of the suit at the Rivers State High Court.
