Court Ruling: Rivers APC leadership nullifies primaries

By Daniel Abia, P/Harcourt

The reinstated leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has declared all nominations and decisions made by the Tony Okocha-led executive null and void following a Court of Appeal judgment that recognized Chief Emeka Beke as the authentic state chairman.

The party’s position follows last Saturday’s ruling of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, which upheld an earlier High Court decision affirming Beke as the lawful APC chairman in the state and invalidating the congresses that produced the Okocha-led executive.

In a statement issued by the party’s spokesman, Darlington Nwauju, the Beke-led leadership said all actions taken by the Okocha faction between December 20, 2024, and May 29, 2026, including nominations, communications and political decisions, were “illegal, null and void.”

“All nominations, representations, communications, documentations, including decisions reached on behalf of the Rivers State Chapter of the APC within the period are of no effect,” the statement read.

The development effectively invalidates all candidate selections and political processes conducted under the Okocha structure, including governorship, National Assembly and House of Assembly primaries reportedly aligned with interests associated with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The Beke faction has also urged the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to immediately review and expunge all records linked to the disputed primaries, warning that failure to act could expose the party to a repeat of the “Zamfara experience,” where electoral victories were lost due to invalid nominations.

It also called on the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to withdraw certificates issued to local government chairmen and councillors elected under the Okocha-backed structure during the August 2025 council polls.

The judgment and subsequent declaration have triggered fresh uncertainty over several political positions and ambitions in the state, including those linked to recent defections and candidacies now under legal scrutiny.

Legal observers say the ruling has significantly altered the political balance within the APC in Rivers State, shifting attention from individual ambitions to which faction has legitimate authority to produce candidates for the 2027 elections.

A political analyst, Robinson Esin, said the key issue now is legitimacy rather than candidacy.

“The real battle now is over which APC structure has the legal authority to produce candidates,” he said.

The APC national leadership is now expected to reconcile the court-backed Beke executive with actions already taken by the rival Okocha faction, as the party moves to resolve the deepening internal crisis.

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