18th January, 2016
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
A Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, Rivers state today confirmed the judgment of a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt that sacked all 23 local government council chairmen elected during in 2015 under the government of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
The sacked chairmen are all members of All Progressives Congress, APC.
The elected local government council chairmen had approached the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt seeking reinstatement following their sack by Governor Nyesom Wike, the incumbent but the court threw out their suit.
On Monday, January 18 the Appeal Court in Port Harcourt also dismissed the suit filed by Mr Augustine Ngo and 22 others against the PDP.
The appellate court declared that the suit filed by the former council chairmen lacked competence and was therefore dismissed.
Addressing newsmen after the judgment, Rivers State Attorney General, Emmanuel Aguma, SAN, described the Appeal Court judgement as a confirmation of the judgment of the Federal High Court which declared council polls illegal.
It will be recalled that Amaechi was accused to have circumvented the law by illegally conducting local government council elections less than one week before handing over on May 29, 2015.
PDP had filed a suit against the conduct of the council polls at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.
Despite a court injunction stopping Amaechi, he went ahead to conduct the illegal election.