Appeal Court confirms sack of illegally elected APC Rivers’ council chairmen

Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division on Monday, confirmed the earlier judgment of a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, which sacked all the 23 local government councils, allegedly illegally elected under the former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, few days to the end of his second term.

All the council officials were incidentally elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The elected local government council chairmen had approached the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, seeking reinstatement, but the Court threw out their suit.

The Appeal Court in Port Harcourt dismissed the suit filed by Augustine Ngo and 22 others against the PDP on the illegal election.

The Appeal Court declared that the suit filed by the former council chairmen lacked competence and was therefore dismissed.

Addressing newsmen after the judgment, Rivers State attorney general, Emmanuel Aguma, described the Appeal Court judgment as a confirmation of the judgment of the Federal High Court, which declared the May 25, 2015, council polls illegal.

It would be recalled that former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi had circumvented the law by illegally conducting local government council elections less than one week before the handing over on May 29, 2015.

The PDP had filed a suit against the conduct of the council polls at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.

Despite a court injunction stopping the elections, former governor Amaechi went ahead to conduct the elections against the order of the court.