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Rivers: APC Factions Clash in Court Over LG Election
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
Two factions of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday clashed in Court in Port Harcourt over the conduct of recent local government election in the State.
This is coming as a Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned hearing until October 8, 2025, to commence accelerated hearing on a suit concerning the legitimacy of the recent local council election in the state.
The suit was filed by local government chairmanship candidates of the Emeka Beke-led All Progressives Congress faction against the newly elected council chairmen produced by the party’s camp led by Tony Okocha.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, is also a respondent in the suit.
The APC chairmanship candidate for Bonny LGA, Dagogo Fubara, and 19 others are in court seeking interpretation on who is the legitimate state chairman of the party, between Beke and Okocha, following a judgment of the Rivers State High Court presided over by Justice Sika Aprioku.
The plaintiffs are also asking the court to nullify the primary election conducted by the Okocha-led APC and the candidates who emerged from it, who have already been declared winners in 20 LGAs across the state.
The APC chairmanship candidates from the Beke faction are praying the court to direct RSIEC to declare them the authentic winners of the August 30, 2025, council elections in Rivers State.
When the matter came up for hearing on Monday, the court noted the absence of counsel for RSIEC.
All other parties present applied for an adjournment, and presiding judge Justice Stephen Jumbo adjourned the case until October 8 for accelerated hearing.
The Beke faction of the APC had written to RSIEC, urging the Commission not to recognize any individual who did not emerge from primaries conducted under his leadership, insisting that he remains the authentic state chairman of the party based on the law.
RSIEC, in its response, maintained that it neither monitored the primaries conducted by the Beke-led APC nor recognized their candidates.
It would be recalled that on August 12, 2024, a Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt had dismissed the seven-member Caretaker Committee of the APC in Rivers State, led by Okocha, which was appointed by the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party.
Justice Aprioku, ruling in a suit filed by Sam Sam Etetegwung, Banarth Ezemoye, Ezekiel Ubom, and others on behalf of the democratically elected APC executive in the state, reinstated the executive led by Beke as the legitimate leadership of the party in Rivers State.
The court issued a perpetual injunction against the Okocha-led caretaker committee, prohibiting them from interfering with the Beke-led executive until the end of their four-year term.
Additionally, the court restrained the APC’s national leadership from recognizing the Okocha-led committee and directed them to acknowledge the Beke-led executive as the party’s authentic leadership until their term expires.
The court also criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for supporting the dissolution of the democratically elected APC executives and warned that leaders of political parties must adhere to their own constitutions and avoid acting recklessly.
Justice Aprioku found that the APC National Working Committee failed to justify their actions, which were deemed in violation of both the party’s and Nigeria’s constitutions.
As a result, the court awarded N300,000 in costs in favour of the APC executive led by Beke.
The judge dismissed preliminary objections raised by the defendants regarding the justification and the application for joinder by additional parties.
Justice Aprioku ruled that the appointment of the seven-member caretaker committee led by Okocha was null and void, with no legal standing, asserting that the committee members had no legal existence.
End
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The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has urged policymakers to prioritise targeted interventions to address uneasiness around cost of living to ensure Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth translated into real improvements in citizens’ welfare.
The Founder, CPPE, Dr.
Muda Yusuf, gave the advice on Tuesday in Lagos in reaction to the country’s third quarter GDP report which grew by 3. 98 per cent.Yusuf noted that though the report showed slight moderation from the 4.3 per cent growth in the second quarter.
However, data confirms the economy remains firmly on a path of steady recovery and consolidation.
Yusuf said the performance highlighted the positive impact of ongoing economic reforms, especially in stabilising the exchange rate, moderating inflation, improving fiscal conditions and gradually restoring investors’ confidence.
According to him, these macroeconomic gains have strengthened business sentiment and supported activity across key sectors of the economy.
He, however, noted that in spite of improving fundamentals, the cost-of-living crisis remains a concern.
Yusuf said while disinflation was underway and prices of some food items and manufactured products were easing, the social outcomes of economic reforms continued to weigh on households.
“It is, therefore, imperative for policymaking to prioritise targeted interventions to address the uneasiness around cost of living and ensure that GDP growth and macroeconomic stability translate into real improvements in citizens’ welfare—particularly for vulnerable groups,” he said.
Yusuf said to consolidate the gains recorded in Q3 and unlock stronger, more inclusive growth, certain policy interventions were critical.
He emphasised the need to reduce structural bottlenecks, mitigate the cost of the living crisis, strengthen agricultural productivity, rebuild manufacturing competitiveness and address housing affordability.
Yusuf also called for increased funding for social sectors such as health and education, enhancement of non-oil exports, stabilised oil output and security of critical infrastructure.
He reaffirmed that targeted policies to ease cost-of-living pressures was crucial to making the reform process inclusive.
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Reps Order Forensic Audit of NMDPRA over Alleged Mismanagement of Gas Infrastructure Fund
By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja
Public Accounts Committee (PAC), of the House of Representatives, on Monday, ordered a forensic audit of theMidstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), over the alleged mismanagement of the Fund’s operations from 2021 to date.
The Committee Chaired by Representative Bamidele Salam on Monday made the decision after a motion, titled “Motion on the Urgent Need to Investigate Misapplication and Mismanagement of Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) from Year 2021 to Date in Contravention of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021,” was moved by Hon. Cyriacus Umeha and seconded by Hon. Kafilat Ogbara.The Committee noted that Section 52(1) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 established the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Development Fund, stating that its utilisation must be subjected to appropriation by the National Assembly.It further observed that Section 52(7a) stipulates that the fund should be financed through 0.5 percent of the wholesale price of petroleum products and natural gas sold in Nigeria, collected from wholesale customers in addition to levies outlined in Section 47(2)(c) of the Act.Lawmakers also drew attention to Sections 52(8) and (9) of the Act, which mandate the NMDPRA to ensure the prompt collection of all such sums into the Fund’s account within 21 days of the sale of petroleum products and natural gas in the country.The Committee highlighted that Order 20, Rule 6(5) of the House Standing Orders (11th Edition) empowers the Public Accounts Committee to investigate loss of public revenue, non-remittance of fees, and violations of financial laws in the administration of public funds.However, concerns were raised after the Public Accounts Committee, in a letter dated July 21, 2025, requested the NMDPRA to submit relevant information on the administration and utilization of the Fund and to appear before the Committee on August 12, 2025.According to the motion, the Authority neither responded to the request nor honoured the invitation.The Committee explained that it issued a final reminder on August 26, 2025, but the NMDPRA still failed to comply, raising further suspicion about the management of the fund.Lawmakers expressed alarm that several wholesale customers had defaulted in paying the mandatory 0.5 percent levy, despite Section 52(9) empowering the Authority to set regulations for late or non-payment.They also cited serious allegations of due process violations, disregard for financial regulations, and the absence of audit reports on the fund since its establishment.In response, the House resolved to mandate the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation to conduct a comprehensive forensic audit of all funds collected by the NMDPRA since 2021.The Committee said the audit is expected to uncover the extent of alleged mismanagement, misappropriation, and fraudulent diversion of funds, as well as identify wholesale customers who failed to remit the required levy.PAC ordered the Auditor-General to report back to the Committee within 60 days.
From Ene Asuquo, Calabar
A youth leader in Effi, Okuni community in Ikom local government area of Cross River State, Alobi Ndifon has asked Executive Director Rainforest Resource and Development Center (RRDC), Prince Odey Oyama, to tender payment evidence for N40m compensation money that he allegedly collected from the Cross River State Government for superhighway on behalf of the community.
Ndifon made the accusation during an interactive session with our reporter in Calabar yesterdayHe accused Oyama of lacking the moral justification to accuse Okim, who is their community legal Adviser of not being transparent, as Oyama himself is not transparent accusing him of causing divisions within the community. He urged Oyama to stop spreading malicious propaganda against the Okim, accusing Oyama of fostering divisive tendencies rather than unity in the community.He said that Oyama’s claim of a secret agreement between Okim and Chinese nationals has been described as “totally unfounded” and lacking evidence to back his claims.Ndifon demanded that Oyama produce evidence to support his claims or retract his statements, saying that the allegations are damaging to Okim’s reputation.He accused Oyama of prioritizing his selfish interests over the well-being of the community, causing harm to the community’s unity and progress.Ndifon stated that Oyama’s actions are motivated by a desire to destroy Okim’s reputation and advance his own interests, rather than working towards the betterment of the Olulumo Community.Ndifon demanded that Oyama produce evidence to support his claims or retract his statements, saying that the allegations are damaging to Okim’s reputation.He accused Oyama of prioritizing his selfish interests over the well-being of the community, causing harm to the community’s unity and progress.Efforts to get Oyama to react on the issue failed as text messages and telephone calls put across to him after a failed attempt to speak with him, yielded no results as Oyama neither replied to the text message or replied to the telephone even when his phone ran several times.
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