Court Reserves Ruling in Rivers APC Factional Suit Challenging LG Chairmanship Candidatures

A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has reserved its ruling in a legal suit instituted by chairmanship candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), belonging to the Emeka Beke-led faction of the party. The suit challenges the nomination process for the local government elections held on August 30.

Dependable NG reports that the case, filed by Fubara Dagogo and eight other claimants, is directed against the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC). The claimants are seeking a perpetual injunction that would restrain RSIEC from recognizing or accepting the results of the APC primaries held on August 4, 2025, or any other subsequent date.

Presiding over the matter, Justice Stephen Jumbo reserved the ruling until Wednesday, November 5, after listening to detailed arguments from the legal representatives of both parties regarding the critical preliminary issue of whether the case was statute-barred.

The core argument put forth by the claimants is that they were unlawfully substituted by the party leadership. They argue that the list of candidates eventually forwarded to RSIEC, contained in a letter dated August 7, 2025, did not represent the authentic winners of the party’s primaries. Consequently, the claimants are now asking the court to declare them as the legitimate and authentic winners of the contested local government election candidatures. This legal action highlights the continuing deep-seated leadership tussle that is embroiling the APC in Rivers State, which remains divided between the faction led by Emeka Beke and the opposing faction led by Tony Okocha.