The leadership crisis within the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has escalated following the declaration by the reinstated faction of the party that all nominations and decisions made during the disputed leadership period are null and void.
The faction, led by Chief Emeka Beke, stated that all actions, communications, nominations, and documents issued on behalf of the Rivers APC between December 20, 2024, and May 29, 2026, lack legal validity following a Court of Appeal judgment that upheld the nullification of the congresses which produced Chief Tony Okocha as state chairman.
The position was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the spokesperson of the reinstated leadership, Darlington Nwauju.
The disputed primaries had produced Kingsley Chinda, an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as the APC governorship candidate after Governor Siminalayi Fubara withdrew from the race. Several associates of the FCT Minister also emerged as candidates for National Assembly and State House of Assembly seats under the party platform.
The latest development follows a judgment delivered by Justice Elfreida Oluwayemisi Williams-Dawodu of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, which affirmed an earlier Rivers State High Court ruling nullifying the congresses that brought Okocha into office as APC chairman in the state.
According to Nwauju, the judgment effectively means that the Okocha-led faction lacked the legal authority to act on behalf of the party or conduct any official party business.
He argued that the November 23 and November 30, 2024 congresses had been invalidated and therefore could not serve as the basis for any legitimate party action.
Nwauju further maintained that individuals who functioned as party leaders following the disputed congresses were neither duly elected executives nor legally recognized caretaker committee members. He referenced earlier court judgments that restored the Emeka Beke-led executive and nullified the caretaker arrangement.
He alleged that the Rivers APC had been transformed into an exclusive political platform where several founding members and serving lawmakers were denied participation in the nomination process.
According to him, notable party stakeholders, including former state executives, serving legislators, and other key members, were controversially excluded from the primaries.
The Beke faction warned that the APC could face a repeat of its 2019 electoral setback in Rivers State if the National Working Committee (NWC) fails to address the current crisis in accordance with the law.
Drawing parallels with previous court rulings against the party, Nwauju insisted that political actors cannot benefit from actions already declared illegal by competent courts.
He therefore maintained that all nominations, representations, communications, and decisions made under the authority of the disputed leadership remain illegal, null, void, and without legal effect.
The faction also called on the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to withdraw certificates of return issued to candidates nominated by the Okocha-led faction during the August 2025 local government elections.
According to Nwauju, the certificates should instead be issued to candidates nominated by the Emeka Beke-led executive, which he described as the legally recognized leadership of the party.
He argued that nominations submitted to RSIEC by the disputed faction were unlawful and therefore incapable of producing valid electoral outcomes.
The faction further appealed to the APC National Working Committee to immediately review all primary elections conducted in Rivers State under the disputed leadership.
Nwauju warned that failure to do so could expose the party to legal challenges similar to those that cost the APC electoral victories in Zamfara State.
He insisted that all records, declarations, and returns arising from activities conducted by what he described as “illegal executives” should be expunged from the party’s records.
The development has further intensified uncertainty within the Rivers APC, raising fresh questions over the status of candidates produced by the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
AIV NEWS reports that the escalating dispute is expected to attract national attention as party leaders move to determine the legal and political implications of the court rulings on the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections.
