Following a fresh crisis rocking the party in Rivers state, the caretaker committee chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Igo Aguma has threatened to file a contempt suit against a party chieftain, Isaac Ogbobula.
This was contained in a statement signed by the media adviser to the party chairman, Livingstone Wechie.
Aguma said Ogbobula as a lawyer should know the implication of acting contrary to valid declarative orders of the court and asked him to avoid the temptation of claiming the office of the acting Chairman of the party.
He reminded Ogbobula that Justice George Omereji declared among other things in a judgement that sacked him in 2019 that his continuous stay in office of the Caretaker Committee of APC Rivers was unconstitutional.
He said the court again in its recent judgement, which empowered him (Aguma) to act as the APC chairman, disbanded the Ogbobula’s Caretaker Committee.
He said the court further ordered APC, National Headquarters to within 48 hours constitute a fresh Caretaker Committee incorporating him (Aguma) as the Chairman and all statutory members of the State Executive Committee as members.
He said: “The orders in paragraph 4 and 5 are declaratory and he as a lawyer knows cannot be stayed. The order in paragraph 6 has already been executed and confirmed by yet another judgement in the case of Golden Chioma Vs Sen Andrew Uchendu & 4 others in PHC/362/2020.
“The National Working Committee of the party also wrote to Igo Aguma affirming the judgement of the Court and recognized him as the Acting Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the party in Rivers State.
“By the above reproduced Orders of the High Court of Rivers State, it is clear that the Orders are declaratory and are not affected by the order of the Court of Appeal for Stay of Execution.
“A declaratory Order cannot and can never be stayed. In fact the same Court of Appeal ruled that it has lost jurisdiction on the matter since it is validly now pending before the Supreme Court.
“If Isaac Ogbobula being a lawyer knowledgeable on these facts goes ahead to disregard and disobey the judgement of the Court, we are going to commence immediately Contempt proceedings against him because his actions are contemptuous. Ogbobula and his former Caretaker Committee still remain former executives for all purposes.
“Finally, recall that a High Court in Rivers State some days ago in a Suit filed by the Golden Ben Chioma reiterated that Rt. Honourable Igo Aguma is the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of APC in Rivers State.”
