Yenagoa— a High Court sitting on Friday, sacked the State Executives of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Bayelsa State.
Its ruling also asked for the nullification of the Ward, Local Government and State Congresses held between 3rd and 4th of September, 2021, and 16th October,2021.
Justice Timipre J Corcordia of the court upheld the Eight Prayers of the plaintiff over the issue of exclusion, anomalies, and disobedience to Court order concerning the conduct of the Ward, Local Government, and State congresses.
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The suit numbered YHC/107/2021 was filed by some aggrieved members of the party in the state, Ompadec Victor, Esuenifen Obi, and Seimiegha Ebibofe Agbozu. They were praying for an Interim injunction stopping the conduct of the ward congress in the state.
The same claims were made in the further amendment of the originating summon with Alex Izibenikiebo Blankson as plaintiff and State Chairman of APC, Barr Denis’s Otittio, and three others as defendants
Justice I A Uzaka, however, had granted the interim Injunction but the party went ahead with the conduct of the Congress at the ward, Local Government, and State level which produced Barr Denis’s Otiotio-led State Executives and other executives at the ward and local Government levels.
Affirming the case, the plaintiff through their Counsel, Barr Fawei asked the Court whether having regard to the filing, service, and knowledge of the defendants of the pendency of the motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction in suit No. YHC/107/2021, seeking to restrain the defendant in Bayelsa State to elect its party leaders/officers, the defendant was duty bound to refrain from any action whatsoever on the conduct of its Congress until the hearing and determination of the said Motion on Notice by the Court.
Fawei said:
“And that whether the conduct of the congresses by the defendant is invalid, null, void and liable to be set aside by the honorable court.”
Responding, the Plaintiff however, sought among other claims a declaration that having regard to the order of the honourable Court, made on the 30th day of July 2021 in suit No: YHC/107/2021, restraining the defendants from conducting its wards, Local Government and State congresses to elect it’s party leaders in Bayelsa State, the defendants were in disobedience of the said court order when it conducted its congresses during the subsistence of the order.
They also sought a 6th order nullifying the ward, local government, and State congresses and the election held by the defendants in Bayelsa State on the 3rd and 4th of September and 16th of October,2021 in defiance of the restraining order made by the court on the 30th day of July,2022 and during the pendency of the Motion for Interlocutory Injunction as well as during the pendency of the Appeal No: CA/PH/246/2021.
The Justice, after hearing from the plaintiff and defendant counsels, upheld the Eight Prayers sought by the plaintiff.
The plaintiff’s Counsel, Fawei further commended the judiciary for its ruling.
Fawei said:
“It simply means that the APC in Bayelsa from the beginning have no leadership.”
