Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims by the Emeka Beke-led faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State that recent Court of Appeal judgments nullified decisions taken by the Tony Okocha-led leadership of the party, insisting that those making such assertions are misinterpreting the court’s ruling.
Wike spoke on Thursday while responding to questions from journalists after inspecting ongoing projects in the FCT ahead of activities marking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s third anniversary in office.
Responding to a question on the Court of Appeal judgment and the claims by the Emeka Beke faction that it had nullified decisions taken by the Tony Okocha-led APC and sacked candidates produced by the party, Wike described the interpretation of the judgment as erroneous.
According to him, party primaries are conducted by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC and not by state chapters.
He explained that the dispute originated from an ex-parte order obtained from a Rivers State High Court to stop a congress for the election of state party officials.
Wike said the APC subsequently appealed against the order, challenging the jurisdiction of the state court, but the Court of Appeal ruled that the High Court had jurisdiction and directed that the matter be returned to the lower court for determination.
“What happened in that matter, as far as I know, is that when the national body said they should conduct a congress to elect state officers, they rushed to the State High Court and obtained an ex-parte order stopping the congress.
“The party appealed, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction, but the Court of Appeal said the matter should return to the High Court because it had jurisdiction to hear it,” he said.
The minister noted that the substantive matter remains unresolved and would have to be reassigned following the death of the judge who initially handled the case.
He argued that the Court of Appeal ruling neither cancelled party primaries nor invalidated decisions taken by the party’s national leadership.
Wike also took issue with statements suggesting that party officials or candidates had been sacked, maintaining that such conclusions had no basis in the court’s judgment.
On criticisms that his recent comments during an engagement with protesting members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the FCT were insensitive, particularly his assertion that the protest over the kidnapping of teachers was being politicised, the minister stood firmly by his position.
He said he had never suggested that government was unconcerned about insecurity or the plight of kidnapped teachers, stressing that the issue of security affects all Nigerians regardless of profession or location.
According to him, every kidnapping incident should attract national concern whether it occurs in Abuja, Sokoto, Taraba or any other part of the country.
