The Supreme Court, on Friday, March 5, 2021, upheld the Court of Appeal judgement that sacked Igo Aguma as the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State.
The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a five-man panel of Justices, dismissed appeals that were lodged before it by both Aguma and the erstwhile National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole.
Justice Amina Augie who read the lead verdict that was prepared by Justice Adamu Jaoru, said the apex court found no reason to interfere with the December 29, 2020, judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which vacated an earlier verdict of the High Court of Rivers State.
The court held that the appeal was without merit, stressing that it was plagued with a litany of jurisdictional issues.
While the judgement was on the appeal marked: SC/17/2021, which Aguma filed against the APC and others, the Supreme Court said its decision in the matter should be applied to the second appeal marked: SC/51/2021, wherein Oshiomhole queried the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal in Abuja to entertain the case.
The appellate court had in its verdict, sacked Aguma as Acting/Caretaker Committee Chairman of APC in Rivers, after it voided the June 2020 judgment of Justice George Omereji of the High Court of Rivers State in Port Harcourt.
The appellate court went ahead and affirmed the appointment of Isaac Abbot Ogbobula as the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Rivers State APC.
It held that it was the exclusive right of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the APC, under the party’s Constitution, to appoint a Caretaker Committee for any organ of the party.
Ogbobula was said to belong to a faction of the APC in Rivers State loyal to the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
Source: Vanguard
