Court dissolves APC exco in Bayelsa, nullifies wards and state congresses

The All Progressives Congress (APC) state executive members have been removed by the Bayelsa State High Court in Yenagoa, rendering invalid the ward, local government, and state congresses held between the third and fourth of September and the sixteenth of October 2021.

According to the Nigerian Tribune, State High Court Justice Timipre.J. Cocodia upheld the plaintiff’s eight requests on Friday on problems of exclusion, anomalies, and disobedience to court orders over the conduct of the Ward, Local Government, and State congresses.

Ompadec Victor, Esuenifen Obi, and Seimiegha Ebibofe Agbozu, three resentful party members in the state, filed the lawsuit with the case number YHC/107/2021, asking for an interim injunction to halt the state’s ward congress’ operations.

The same allegations were raised in the subsequent modification to the first summons, which named Alex Izibenikiebo Blankson as plaintiff and Barr. Denis Otittio, State Chairman of the APC, and three other defendants as defendants.

Despite the temporary injunction being granted by Justice I. A. Uzaka, the party continued its conduct of the Congress at the ward, local government, and state levels, resulting in the election of Barr. Dennis’s Otiotio-led State Executives and others at the ward and local government levels.

The plaintiff in the current matter questioned the court, in the affirmative, if the defendants were aware that the motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction in suit No. YHC/107/2021 was pending due to the filing, service, and awareness of the defendants.

The defendant was required to refrain from taking any action regarding the conduct of its Congress until the hearing and decision of the aforementioned Motion on Notice by the Court in the complaint that seeks to restrain the defendant in Bayelsa State for the purpose of choosing its party leaders/officers.

However, the Plaintiff sought, among other things, a declaration that the defendants were in disobedience of the said court order when they held their congresses during the subsequent period of time in Bayelsa State, having regard to the order of the honourable Court made on the 30th day of July 2021 in suit No: YHC/107/2021, restraining the defendants from conducting its wards, Local Government, and State Congresses for the purpose of electing its party leaders.

They also asked the court to issue a sixth order invalidating the ward, local government, and state congresses and election that the defendants held in Bayelsa State on September 3 and 4, 2021, and on October 16, 2021, in defiance of the restraining order issued on July 30, 2022, while the motion for an interlocutory injunction was pending, and while the appeal no. CA/PH/246/2021 was still pending.

After hearing from the plaintiff’s and defendant’s lawyers, State High Court Justice Timipre J. Cocodia upheld the plaintiff’s eight requests.

In response to the verdict, the plaintiff’s attorney, Barr. Fawei, praised the court for its decision, adding that “it simply means that the APC in Bayelsa from the beginning had no leadership.”