Court bars all APC candidates in Rivers

Barely two months before the February general election, a federal high court sitting in Port Harcourt Monday barred all candidates produced by the primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State.

The court, presided by Kolawole Omotosho, also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising any candidates of the APC for the 2019 general elections in the state.

Two factions, one faction loyal to the minister of transportation Rotimi Ameachi and the other loyal to serving senator, Magnus Abe, had conducted parallel primaries that produced two sets of candidates.

While the faction loyal Ameachi produced Tonye Cole as its the state governorship candidate, the other loyal to Abe, produced him as its own candidate.

The national secretariat of the APC, however, forwarded Cole’s name to INEC.

In a suit filed by Abe, the court declared that the APC, for failing to respect the law, must bear the consequences of her disobedience to the law.

Justice Omotosho stated that the direct and indirect primaries of the Rivers State APC are illegal, null and void.

The court further declared that both the direct and indirect primaries were held during the pendency of the suit at the Rivers State High Court.

Details later.