The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has upheld the judgment of the State High Court that nullified the congresses which produced the Tony Okocha-led executive of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
The appellate court also struck out the appeal filed by Okocha and members of his executive in Suit No. CA/PH/523/2024, ordering parties to return to the State High Court for continuation of the substantive case.
The decision follows an earlier ruling delivered on December 20, 2024, by Justice Obomanu of the Rivers State High Court, which nullified the APC congresses conducted in the state.
The court held that the process that produced Okocha and other executive members was invalid, effectively sacking the leadership that emerged from the disputed congresses.
In Friday’s ruling, Justice Elfreida Oluwayemisi Williams-Dawodu of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, affirmed the earlier judgment, thereby maintaining the nullification.
The court also nullified actions taken on behalf of the APC in Rivers State by the dissolved executive between December 20, 2024, and the date of the ruling.
Reacting to the judgment, the Publicity Secretary of the Okocha-led APC in Rivers State, Chibike Ikenga, urged party members to remain calm, insisting that the ruling had been misrepresented.
“There is no threat to the status of the EXCO pending full trial. Our Lawyers will study the full judgment and advise on the next step,” Ikenga said.
He argued that the interpretation being circulated did not reflect the true position of the court’s decision.
Ikenga explained that the appeal concerned an interlocutory matter challenging the jurisdiction of the High Court and an order to maintain status quo.
“The Court of Appeal struck out the appeal and directed the parties to return to the Rivers State High Court for the hearing of the substantive case,” he stated.
He added that the court’s decision was based on what he described as a misunderstanding of the underlying issues, including the nature of elections referenced in the proceedings.
The APC spokesperson further clarified that the ruling did not affect the validity of the state congress that produced Okocha and his executive.
“For the avoidance of doubt, this judgment delivered today has nothing to do with the State Congress wherein Chief Tony Okocha and other members of the APC State Executive Council were elected,” he said.
He referenced a separate case, Suit No. PHC/3805/2024: Charles Enyidia & ORS vs APC, which he said had been dismissed on March 23, 2026.
A counsel for the respondents, Mr. Emenike Ebete, confirmed that the judgment was delivered via Zoom, describing the proceedings as largely procedural in nature.
He explained that the appeal stemmed from an ex parte order issued by the High Court restraining the conduct of the congresses, which he alleged was disobeyed.
“They disobeyed the court’s order and went ahead, conducting the local government, the state, and all congresses,” Ebete said.
He maintained that the High Court subsequently nullified the congresses, and that the appellate court upheld that position by striking out the appeal.
According to him, the ruling effectively leaves the High Court’s decision intact pending further proceedings.
