Rivers APC Governorship Tussle: Abe, Cole Debate Party’s Mandate

Rivers APC Governorship Tussle: Abe, Cole Debate Party’s Mandate

The debate over who is the rightful governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Rivers State, has continued, following an Appeal Court’s stay of Execution on judgement excluding the party from the general elections.

Senator Magus Abe, a candidate of the APC in rivers state told Channels Television’s Seun Okinbaloye that the controversy is unnecessary.

Abe who was a guest on Politics Today said the stay of execution as granted by the Appeal Court was in favour of the APC, while the issue of who will bear the flag remains undecided till next Wednesday when it will be determined.

The lawmaker said what is important is to urge the court to treat the matter expediently with “the speed it clearly deserves in view of the fact that elections are too close by”.

He said he has made moves and taken actions to resolve the issues within the Rivers APC, however, all his efforts have proven abortive.

Disagreeing with his counterpart’s take on the issue, Tonye Cole said the stay of execution as granted by the Appeal Court is a ruling in favour of his faction.

He said the court’s order meant a return to the status quo, arguing that the status quo is that his faction receives the mandate.

“The status quo is that we receive the flag, status quo is that INEC had us on the list, status quo is that when INEC removed APC, it was our names that were removed. So what has happened is that we are back and that is why we are jubilating,” Cole argued.

Reacting to the judgement of the High Court, which pulled down the structure that organised the primaries from which he emerged as a flagbearer, Cole said the fundamentals of the case are in his favour.

He said he is confident that he will win if the process continues even unto the Supreme Court.

A Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt on Monday granted a stay of execution of the Federal High Court judgement nullifying all primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State.

Apart from nullifying the primaries, Justice Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court had also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from fielding the party’s candidates in the forthcoming general elections in the state.

But Justice Ali Gumel, who presided over an appeal filed by a faction of the APC in Rivers, granted a stay of execution on the judgement delivered by Justice Omotosho on January 7.