By Kalada Jumbo
The Supreme Court has struck out an appeal filed by the APC challenging the judgment of a High Court in Rivers State.
A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt had barred the party from conducting any primaries in the state to nominate candidates to represent the party in the forth coming election.
In the judgement, Justice Aliyu Sanusi, ruled that the preliminary objection raised by the respondents, Ibrahim Umah and 22 other aggrieved members of the APC, had substance and therefore, struck out the appeal by the APC.
In his words, “When political parties do not conduct their affairs within their own laws, they can’t hide under the facade of “internal matter” to repel and repudiate jurisdiction of court”
The appeal was Tonye Cole’s last hope of running as the Rivers APC gubernatorial candidate on March 2, 2019.
Following the latest development, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike of the PDP may run unchallenged by an APC candidate.
