Appeal Court ruling keeps Emeka Beke faction’s challenge alive, while Okocha camp insists the judgment does not remove its executive pending the substantive case
The leadership crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has intensified following a Court of Appeal judgment upholding the nullification of the ward, local government and state congresses that produced the Tony Okocha-led executive.
The judgment, delivered by the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal on May 29, 2026, affirmed the jurisdiction of the Rivers State High Court to issue an order restraining the APC from conducting the disputed congresses. The appellate court consequently dismissed the appeal filed by Okocha and members of his executive.
The dispute dates back to December 20, 2024, when Justice Godswill Obomanu of the Rivers State High Court issued an order restraining the APC from conducting congresses in the state. The congresses subsequently went ahead and produced Okocha as state chairman alongside other executives. The subsequent legal challenge led to the High Court’s nullification of the congresses.
Beke faction claims legal backing
The development has strengthened the position of the faction led by Chief Emeka Beke, which has challenged the validity of the congresses that produced the Okocha-led structure.
Beke’s camp has argued that the court decisions mean the Okocha-led executive cannot validly exercise authority on behalf of the Rivers APC. Its spokesman, Darlington Nwauju, subsequently called on the APC National Working Committee to review political decisions and nominations made under the disputed structure.
The faction has also raised questions over APC primaries conducted in Rivers State and their implications for candidates selected ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Okocha camp disputes interpretation
The Okocha-led faction, however, has rejected the interpretation that the Court of Appeal judgment immediately removes its executive.
APC Rivers Publicity Secretary Chibike Ikenga said the judgment concerned an interlocutory appeal and that the substantive case had been returned to the High Court for full trial.
The faction maintained that there was therefore no immediate threat to the status of its executive and said its lawyers would study the judgment before deciding on further legal action.
This distinction is important because reports on the judgment have reflected different interpretations of its immediate legal effect. While the Beke faction regards the ruling as confirmation that the Okocha-led congresses are invalid, the Okocha camp argues that the substantive dispute remains before the lower court.
Implications for the 2027 elections
The dispute could have consequences beyond the internal leadership of the Rivers APC because the party has already conducted candidate-selection exercises in the state for the 2027 elections.
For example, APC House of Representatives primaries were conducted in Rivers in May, with several candidates associated with Wike’s political camp emerging from the exercise.
The Beke faction has called for a review of nominations and other decisions made under the disputed executive, while the Okocha camp maintains that its executive remains in place pending determination of the substantive case.
The legal dispute therefore leaves several questions surrounding the party’s internal authority and the status of decisions made during the period under challenge.
For now, the Court of Appeal has upheld the lower court’s position on the disputed congresses, but the competing interpretations of what that means for the existing executive and subsequent political decisions remain part of the ongoing legal and political battle.
The Rivers APC leadership dispute remains before the courts, with both factions maintaining their respective positions as the party heads towards the 2027 electoral cycle.
