Source: https://naijacenter.com/politics/inec-is-right-it-is-end-of-the-road-for-rivers-apc-in-2019-elections/
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 08:00:28+00:00

Document:
This suit was commenced at the Rivers State High Court, Port Harcourt. The Plaintiffs therein sought several reliefs. They include that Magnus Abe’s group were entitled to participate in the APC primaries, a declaration setting aside the purported primaries by the Ameachigroup, injunction restraining APC from conducting any Local Government Congress based on the ward congress election purportedly conducted on May 5, 2018, declaration that the purported ward and Local Government and State congress conducted by APC in Rivers State on May 12th, 19th, 20th and 21st 2018 respectively and anything done there under are entitled to be set aside etc.
While this case was pending, the Plaintiffs secured an interlocutory/interim order to restrain APC from proceeding with the scheduled congresses pending the determination of the matter. Inspite of this order the APC went ahead with the primaries but appealed against the said interlocutory order in Appeal No: CA/PH/198/2018 to the Court of Appeal. In the cause of prosecuting this Appeal, APC applied through one of its Counsel to withdraw the Appeal by filing a Notice of withdrawal. Another Counsel of APC approached the Court of Appeal to continue with the Appeal. The Counsel to the Magnus Abe group opposed this strongly and argued that the Appeal ought to be dismissed. The Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt allowed and overruled the Abe group and continued with the Appeal. Abe’s group then appealed to the Supreme Court in Appeal No. SC. 1070/2018.
Magnus Abe and Ords instituted the above suit against APC and Ords seeking amongst others an order of Court that they have been duly nominated to contest the various elections in 2019 general election. They also sought an order to nullify the nomination of the candidates of Ameachi’s group and an order for INEC to recognize them as the nominated candidates. In the end, the Federal High Court declared that Magnus Abe’s group were not validly nominated by APC, having failed to prove that the primaries that produced them were validly conducted. The Court held that the primaries that produced them were conducted during the pendency of Suit No BHC/78/2018, betweenIbrahim Umah&Ords v. APC. The Court also held that the Magnus Abe’s group failed to show that their primaries were conducted by the national body of APC.
The Federal High Court went further to restrain INEC from recognizing any candidate of APC contesting for the various offices in the 2019 general elections. The Court nullified the nomination of any candidate by APC for election into the said offices as earlier nullified by Nwogu .J, on 10thOctobetr, 2018 in Suit No: BHC/78/2018, Ibrahim Umah&Ords v. APC.
In what appears to be a costly mix-up, APC’s counsel in their prayers for stay of execution filed on 5th February, 2019, directed their relief against the judgment of the Federal High Court in Suit No: FHC/PH/149/2018; PDP v. INEC & APC which was not the subject of this appeal. The subject of this appeal was Suit NO: FHC/PH/CS/144/2018, Sen. Magnus Abe &Orda v. APC &Ords. Inspte of this costly mix-up which should have led to the strikingout of such application, the Court of Appeal granted the application for “Stay of Execution as Prayed”. What the Court of Appeal granted in reality were prayers in connection with another appeal between APC and PDP.
In conclusion the judgment in suit No: BHC/78/2018; Ibrahim Umah & Ords v. APC delivered on 10th October, 2018 by the High Court of Rivers State nullifying the nominations by APC for 2019 elections remains valid and unchanged. The judgment of the Federal High Court in Suit No: FHC/CS/149/2018, PDP V. INEC & APC deliveredon 7th January, 2019 restraining INEC from recognizing any APC candidate and also nullifying all APC nominations remain valid as it has not been set aside on appeal. In addition, no valid stay of execution has been granted to warrant INEC to act on it. The judgment in Suit No: FHC/PH/CS/144/2018; Sen. Magnus Abe &Ords vs. APC &Ordswhich restrained INEC from recognizing any candidate of APC for 2019 elections remains valid. No valid order for stay of execution has been made against it. In any case, for INEC to validly recognize APC candidates for all positions in 2019 elections, all existing judgments must be set aside on Appeal or validly stayed.
So far, this has not been so. It appears that nothing can be done about the Rivers State High Court judgment in Suit No: BHC/78/2018 Ibrahim Umah&Ords v. APCwhich has no appeal against it and there cannot be one anymore having regards to the period allowed by law to appeal against same. It can therefore be safely concluded that the iron curtain has been closed on APC with respect to fielding candidates for 2019 general elections with respect to Rivers State.

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