Port Harcourt, May 29, 2026 – The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed reports alleging that the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, affirmed the removal of the party’s state executive led by Chief Tony Okocha, describing such claims as a deliberate misrepresentation of the court’s judgment.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued on Friday by the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Chibike Ikenga, following widespread reports that the appellate court had upheld an earlier High Court judgment nullifying APC congresses in Rivers State.
According to the APC, the Court of Appeal’s judgment delivered in Appeal No. CA/PH/523/2024: APC & Anor. v. Okwu Joebrown Ndike, was related to a dispute arising from the party’s Local Government Area and Ward Congresses, and not the State Congress that produced Chief Tony Okocha and other members of the State Executive Committee.
The party explained that the appeal challenged the jurisdiction of the Rivers State High Court to entertain matters it described as internal party affairs, as well as an interim order directing parties to maintain the status quo pending determination of the substantive suit.
It stated that the Court of Appeal struck out the appeal and directed all parties to return to the Rivers State High
Court for the hearing of the substantive matter.
“The Court of Appeal, with all due respect, predicated its decision on the wrong assumption that the appeal relates to the just concluded Local Government Area and Ward Elections in Rivers State and therefore held that an appeal touching on such elections must terminate at the High Court,” the statement said.
The APC further recalled that the original suit was filed by some party members who alleged that they were denied nomination forms for the party’s Local Government and Ward Congresses in 2024, leading to the interim order issued by the High Court.
However, the party maintained that the judgment has no bearing on the State Congress that produced the current Rivers APC leadership.
To support its position, the APC cited another case, Suit No. PHC/3805/CS/2024: Charles Enyidia & 2 Ors. v. APC & Anor., which directly challenged the State Congress that produced Okocha and other executives.
According to the party, the Rivers State High Court, presided over by Justice Kokpan, dismissed the suit on March 23, 2026, for lack of merit and jurisdiction.
“For the avoidance of doubt, this judgment delivered today has nothing to do with the State Congress wherein Chief Tony Okocha and other members of the APC State Executive Council were elected,” the statement stressed.
The party disclosed that it had applied for the certified true copy of the Court of Appeal judgment and would consult its legal team to determine the next course of action upon receipt of the document.
It also urged party members and supporters to remain calm and avoid being misled by what it described as inaccurate interpretations of the court’s ruling.
The clarification follows reports circulating on social media and other platforms claiming that the Court of Appeal had affirmed the nullification of APC congresses conducted in Rivers State and, by implication, invalidated the Tony Okocha-led executive.
The reports referenced a December 20, 2024 judgment by Justice Obomanu of the Rivers State High Court, which allegedly nullified certain APC congresses in the state, and claimed that the Court of Appeal had upheld that decision.
As of the time of filing this report, the certified copy of the Court of Appeal judgment had not been made public, leaving competing interpretations of the ruling at the centre of the controversy.
