The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) has condemned efforts by factional chairman, Tony Okocha to halt revenue allocation to the state’s 23 local governments.
The party insisted that Okocha’s continuous claim to party leadership undermines the valid court ruling that had removed the factional chairman and his seven-member caretaker committee from their positions.
Speaking via a statement on Sunday, the Rivers APC spokesperson Darlington Nwauju emphasized that the APC can no longer remain passive on political matters affecting the state’s citizens.
He further criticized Okocha’s court bid to suspend local government allocations, asserting that this action seeks to disrupt the livelihoods of countless Rivers residents who rely on the local government system
Nwauju said, “It is shameful that Okocha and his friends who do not believe or respect the judgement of the High Court which invalidated their so-called appointment by NWC after more than nine months of litigation, have been openly boasting of getting judgement from a court of coordinate jurisdiction in Abuja, to stop allocations to local governments in Rivers State thereby frustrating thousands of Rivers people whose livelihood and survival is dependent on the local government system, especially council workers.”
The APC called on the judiciary to uphold its independence and avoid becoming a tool for politically motivated agendas.
The party also confirmed that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) conducted local government elections in the state, acting in accordance with its mandate as an independent body.
“We do not believe that the judiciary should continue to allow itself to be manipulated by desperate politicians to the point of deposing affidavits in the name of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, whereas a competent court in Port Harcourt had taken a stand against the contraption Tony Okocha claims to represent (refer to Suit No. PHC/3592/CS/2023).
“We stand by the fact that Electoral bodies are expected to be independent/neutral and must have the spine to resist meddlesomeness from the courts.
“This we believe the RSIEC in Rivers State did by conducting local government elections in Rivers State on October 5th 2024,” the statement read in part.