Court nullifies Imo APC ward congress, orders fresh exercise

A federal High Court sitting in Owerri, yesterday nullified the All Progressives Congress (APC) ward congress held in Imo State on May 5, 2018, before the national convention.

The verdict on the ward congress affected the outcome of the local government congress.

In his ruling, Justice Lewis Allagoa said the APC should be responsible and save Nigeria’s democracy by conducting free and fair congress.

The court dismissed a motion by the defendants and insisted it had jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

The judge said that from the exhibits available to the court, there was no ward congress in the state as claimed by the respondents, affirming the plaintiffs’ tendered exhibits that convinced the court.

Allagoa held that the “press interview between the state commissioner of police, Governor Rochas Okorocha and Senator Osita Izunaso that there was no APC ward congress in Imo State on may 5, was justiciable in law.”

The report of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the court ruled, confirmed that there was no APC ward congress in the state in May 5, 2018.

The judge ordered: “APC should go and be responsible and save our democracy.

The defendants and the plaintiffs are members of the same political party, APC. There is no victor, no vanquished.”

The plaintiffs, from the faction loyal to Governor Okorocha, had approached the court, seeking a declaration that the ward congress fixed for May 5 was inconclusive and did not hold, since there was no result therefrom.

They also sought a declaration that since the ward congress was not concluded and the result declared, the defendants cannot organize, conduct or hold local government congress or any other congress flowing from it as it is only the delegates that will participate in the other congresses.

They also sought an order “restraining the defendants from announcing or declaring or making reference to non existing results of the ward congress purportedly claimed to have been released by them as results of the inconclusive ward congress.”

The respondents include Hilary Eke and INEC.