‘Supreme Court didn’t set aside Rivers APC’s congresses, primaries’

The Publicity Secretary of Rivers State All Progressives
Congress (APC), Chris Finebone, said the Supreme Court did not set
aside the party’s ward, local government and state congresses and
the primaries.

He said the appeal filed at the apex court by Ibrahim Umar and
22 other supporters of Senator Magnus Abe (Rivers Southeast) – the
ruling was given yesterday – three issues were canvassed, one of
which was that the Appeal Court did not act correctly by granting a
stay of execution on the interlocutory orders of the Rivers High
Court, with the apex court agreeing with them.

Finebone, yesterday in Port Harcourt, explained that the Supreme
Court did not make pronouncements on the other issues, since the
Rivers High Court, presided over by Justice Chinwendu Nwogu, had
already given final judgment on them, an action he insisted made
the present development a mere academic exercise.

He stressed that the Supreme Court only granted the appeal in
parts and did not make any consequential order, which he said could
only be a subject matter at the Appeal Court, when the appeal
hearing of the Rivers high court judgment would begin.

Finebone said: “The Supreme Court today (yesterday) allowed the
appellant’s appeal, which was against the stay of order of
injunction of May 11, 2018. The apex court said the said order
should not have been stayed. The Supreme Court made no orders,
except to set aside the Court of Appeal’a order, which clears the
way for hearing of the main appeal at Court of Appeal, Port
Harcourt, against the judgment of the Rivers High Court. Their
prayer that Supreme Court should hear the pending appeal at Court
of Appeal was rejected. The appeal is to be heard and determined by
the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt.

“It is important for APC faithful to ignore the raging
propaganda by detractors that the Supreme Court set aside
congresses and primaries of the party in Rivers State. That is a
lie from the pit of hell.

“As things stand, all pending appeals at the Appeal Court are
proceeding apace. Appeal and stay of the final judgment of the
Rivers High Court, Port Harcourt, given on the October 10, 2018,
are being perfected and hearing will commence thereafter.”

Rivers APC Chairman Ojukaye Flag-Amachree said: “What the
Supreme Court did today (yesterday) was to set aside the stay of
execution of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt on an order given
by Justice Chinwendu Nwogu, which has been overtaken by his
judgment. Because after the stay of execution, Justice Nwogu has
given his judgement.

“No court has set aside the order of perpetual injunction
granted by Abuja High Court 14, presided over by Justice A. O.
Musa, on September 4, 2018, in which it restrained the APC and its
National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (1st and 2nd
defendants), from tampering with the mandates of the elected
officials/delegates elected at the 1st defendant’s ward, local
government and state congresses in Rivers State on May 19, 20 and
21, 2018, either by nullifying, removing or in any way refusing to
give effect to the outcome of the said congresses or by purporting
to conduct another congress in respect of Rivers State.”