The Action People’s Party (APP) faces a leadership crisis as a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has granted an ex parte order to serve the Rivers State chairman of the party, Sunny Wokekoro, and 23 chairmanship candidates of the party in the upcoming local government elections through substituted means.
This development comes as Hart Badom, Destiny Omereji, and four others seek to reinstate Badom as the legitimate State Chairman of APP, while calling for Wokekoro’s removal.
The APP has been embroiled in a leadership crisis, with Badom and his supporters challenging Wokekoro’s legitimacy as the party’s chairman.
The crisis deepened when Wokekoro submitted the names of the 23 chairmanship candidates to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for the October 5 local government elections.
The plaintiffs are seeking a declaration that Wokekoro’s actions be considered null and void, citing irregularities in his emergence as chairman. They are also questioning the legitimacy of the 23 chairmanship candidates, specifically when they became members of the APP in the state.
Excel Omeghara, counsel to the plaintiffs, applied for an ex parte motion to serve the defendants through substituted means, which was granted by the presiding judge, Justice Emmanuel Obele.
Omeghara expressed confidence in the court’s ability to resolve the crisis, stating, “We are seeking justice, and we believe the court will uphold the rule of law.”
The APP has gained significant traction in Rivers State in recent months, particularly after its adoption as the platform for loyalists of Governor Siminalayi Fubara to contest the October 5 local government elections. Many of the APP’s chairmanship candidates are former members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who switched allegiance amid internal disputes within the PDP.
