The fate of the elected Local Government Chairmen in Rivers State under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will be determined on November 5, 2025.

The State High Court in Port Harcourt, presided over by Justice Stephen Jumbo, will deliver a ruling on the issue of statute-bar jurisdiction in a suit filed by Fubara Dagogo and eight others against the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC).

The suit seeks a declaration that RISIEC is bound to accept the candidacies of the claimants, who were submitted as Chairmanship candidates for the August 30, 2025, Local Government Council Elections.

The claimants, who are members of the Chief Emeka Beke-led faction of the APC, are also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining RISIEC from recognising the result of the primaries held on August 4, 2025, or any other date.

The claimants alleged that their names were submitted to RISIEC on August 13, 2025, as the authentic candidates of the APC, but the electoral commission recognised the candidates from a parallel APC faction.

The Beke-led faction wants the court to declare them as the authentic winners of the election and substitute those currently presiding as chairmen of the 20 LGAs won by APC.

After listening to arguments from counsel for the claimants and the defendant, Justice Jumbo adjourned the case to November 5, 2025, for ruling on the issue of statute-bar jurisdiction.

The ruling will determine the fate of the elected local government chairmen and the leadership of the APC in Rivers State.

Recently, the APC reaffirmed Tony Okocha as the Chairman of the party in Rivers State, amid reports suggesting a change in leadership.

In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the party described reports of a leadership change as false and misleading.
“The attention of the All Progressives Congress(APC) has been drawn to media reports of a claim by Mr Emeka Beke to the chairmanship of the Rivers State chapter of our party,” the statement read in part.

According to Morka, Beke had claimed he was the chairman of the Rivers State faction of the APC. Morka urged members of the public and the media to disregard such claims.
“We wish to clarify, for the record, that Chief Tony Okocha is and remains the chairman of the Rivers State chapter of our party.
“We urge our teeming members in the state, and the general public, to disregard the said reports or reference to Mr Emeka Beke as State Chairman of Rivers APC as false and misleading,” Morka added.