A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has removed Hon. Chukwuemeka Aaron as the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, along with other party executives.
Presided over by Justice Stephen Jumbo, the court also nullified the ward, local government, and state congresses conducted by the PDP in July 2024. The congresses were organized by a faction of the party loyal to Chief Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), but were marred by controversy and legal challenges over their legitimacy.
The court’s ruling followed allegations that allies of the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, who has a strained relationship with Wike, were deliberately excluded from participating in the congresses.
Notably, in July 2024, Justice Charles Wali of the State High Court had issued an injunction restraining the PDP from conducting the congresses. However, the national leadership of the party allegedly ignored the court order and allowed the congresses to proceed.
The judgment comes on the heels of another recent court decision in Rivers State, which nullified the ward, local government, and state congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that installed Chief Tony Okocha as chairman.
The latest court rulings underscore the deepening political rifts within major parties in Rivers State, further fueling tensions ahead of upcoming political activities.
