The leadership crisis rocking the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has deepened following conflicting interpretations of a recent Court of Appeal judgment, with rival factions led by Chief Emeka Beke and Chief Tony Okocha laying claim to the legitimate leadership of the party.
The dispute erupted after the Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt delivered judgment on May 29, 2026, in an interlocutory appeal arising from litigation over APC congresses conducted in Rivers State in November 2024.
While the Beke faction insists the ruling effectively validates an earlier High Court judgment nullifying the congresses and restores Beke’s executive, the Okocha-led state executive maintains that the appellate court judgment has no connection with the state congress that produced the current leadership.
Addressing journalists in Port Harcourt on Monday, spokesperson of the Beke faction, Darlington Nwauju, declared that the appellate court ruling had sustained the December 20, 2024 judgment of the Rivers State High Court which nullified the APC ward, local government and state congresses conducted in November 2024.
According to Nwauju, the Court of Appeal’s refusal to invalidate the lower court proceedings means that all orders previously issued by the High Court remain valid and binding.
“The congresses have been dismantled and buried. There is no legal basis upon which any person can continue to claim leadership of the APC in Rivers State outside the Chief Emeka Beke-led executive,” he stated.
He argued that the ruling reaffirmed the authority of the High Court to entertain the matter and effectively invalidated structures that emerged from the disputed congresses.
The faction further accused the APC national leadership of repeatedly disregarding court orders and undermining internal democracy by refusing to recognise Beke despite several judicial pronouncements.
Nwauju warned that continued disobedience of court orders could damage the party’s credibility and electoral prospects in Rivers State.
The Beke camp also challenged decisions taken by executives who emerged from the disputed congresses, insisting that all nominations, representations and official actions carried out since December 20, 2024 lacked legal foundation.
According to Nwauju, the party’s leadership should immediately review all primaries and political decisions undertaken in Rivers State during the period under dispute.
The faction specifically raised concerns over nominations submitted to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for the August 2025 local government elections.
Nwauju argued that candidates presented by the rival leadership lacked legal backing and called for a review of certificates of return issued to those candidates.
Drawing parallels with the legal crisis that affected the APC in Zamfara State before the 2019 general elections, he warned that failure to address the issue could expose the party to future electoral setbacks.
However, the Tony Okocha-led state executive has strongly rejected claims that the Court of Appeal judgment invalidated its leadership.
In a statement issued by the APC State Publicity Secretary, Chibike Ikenga, the party described reports suggesting that the appellate court affirmed the removal of the state executive as “a deliberate misrepresentation” of the judgment.
Ikenga explained that the appeal, identified as Appeal No. CA/PH/523/2024: APC & Anor. v. Okwu Joebrown Ndike, arose from disputes relating to the party’s local government and ward congresses and not the state congress that produced Okocha and members of the State Executive Committee.
According to him, the Court of Appeal merely struck out the appeal and directed parties to return to the Rivers State High Court for the determination of the substantive case.
“The judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal has nothing whatsoever to do with the State Congress wherein Chief Tony Okocha and other members of the APC State Executive Council were elected,” the statement said.
The faction maintained that the appellate court’s decision did not determine the validity of the state executive and therefore could not be interpreted as a victory for the Beke faction.
To strengthen its position, the Okocha camp pointed to a separate case challenging the state congress that produced the current leadership.
According to the party, the Rivers State High Court in Suit No. PHC/3805/CS/2024, involving Charles Enyidia and others against the APC, dismissed the challenge to the state congress on March 23, 2026 for lack of jurisdiction and merit.
The party argued that the dismissal remains the only direct judicial pronouncement concerning the state congress and therefore validates the current executive.
The APC leadership also disclosed that it had applied for a certified true copy of the Court of Appeal judgment and would consult its legal advisers before taking further action.
It urged party members and supporters not to be misled by what it termed inaccurate interpretations circulating on social media and other platforms.
Origins of the Dispute
The crisis dates back to November 2024 when a Rivers State High Court ordered the APC to maintain the status quo pending the determination of a suit challenging the conduct of planned party congresses.
The Beke faction maintained that despite service of the court order on the party’s national secretariat, ward congresses were conducted on November 23, 2024, while state congresses followed on November 30.
The High Court subsequently nullified the exercises on December 20, 2024, ruling that they were conducted in violation of its earlier orders.
The matter later proceeded to the Court of Appeal, whose latest ruling has now generated conflicting interpretations from both camps.
As of the time of filing this report, the certified true copy of the Court of Appeal judgment had not been made public, leaving political observers and party stakeholders awaiting the full text of the ruling.
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