TELL Magazine

The Caretaker Committee of the faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State led by Davies Sokonte, has alleged that there was a plot to bring in a judge from Omoku in the state to Port Harcourt to issue exparte orders in favour of the Igo Aguma-led faction of the party in the state.

In a press statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, the Acting State Publicity Secretary of the party, Ogbonna Nwuke, said, “We have equally learnt that the said Judge has already left his station and may have arrived the Rivers State capital to preside on the matter filed by Aguma and his friends.”

Nwuke said the party was raising this alarm to alert the public of ongoing attempts to perpetually subject the APC in endless crisis to the benefit of their political opponents.

He said, “We wish to state categorically that we are shocked that despite knowing that there are judges of the High Court in Port Harcourt who are competent to hear such cases, Igo Aguma and his co-travellers went all the way to Omoku to procure a judge to carry out their dastardly intentions to undermine a party they claim to love.

“We are witnesses to a recent alarm raised by the PDP to the effect that courts in Rivers State are being increasingly used to denigrate democratic processes that are in place for purposes of running the affairs of political parties.

“The concern raised by the PDP confirms what is already known to Rivers people that some politicians have been in the habit of using a segment of the Judiciary in Rivers State to influence judicial decisions.”

The acting APC publicity secretary urged judges in Rivers State to reject pressure from members of the political class to use them to rubbish the integrity of the judiciary.

Justice George Omereji had last week declared Igo Aguma the Acting State Chairman of the APC following a gap in the leadership of the party after a court in the state had nullified the constitution of all the ward, local government and state executive committees of the party.

But Nwuke said, “We will not hesitate, if it becomes necessary to petition judges who step into the arena to the NJC.”