SETTLED! Supreme Court shuts out Rivers APC from 2019 elections

The Supreme Court has nailed the lid on the coffin for the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The apex Court on Friday upheld the ruling of the Appeal Court which affirmed that of State High Court which voided the primary election conducted by a faction recognised by the party’s national leadership.

Justice Chiwendu Nworgu, had given a ruling nullifying the ward, local government and state congresses conducted by the faction in May.

Tonye Cole had emerged the governorship candidate in that primary, which sparked a legal battle spear headed by Senator Magnus Abe.
Cole and his faction of the APC, had on Monday received hope of participating in the coming elections when a Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt ordered a stay of execution of Nworgu’s and another ruling by Justice Omotosho of the Federal High court, which both nullified APC primaries in the state and barred the party in the state from fielding candidates for any position in the 2019 polls.

Read also: Buhari throws SDP into crisis; Olu Falae quits as party chair, retires from politics

However, the hope apparently got dashed today (Friday) as the Justice Mohammed Dattijo led five-man panel of the Supreme Court dismissed Cole and the Rivers APC’s faction appeal, and upheld the nullification of the primaries of APC in the state.

More details coming….

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