Port Harcourt, Rivers State — The political landscape of Rivers State is set to be dramatically reshaped, with a decisive ruling scheduled for November 5, 2025, that will determine the legitimate tenure of the elected Local Government Chairmen under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The crucial judgment will be delivered by the State High Court in Port Harcourt, presided over by Justice Stephen Jumbo, concerning a suit that revolves around deeply entrenched factionalism within the state chapter of the APC and the subsequent validity of candidates presented for the recent council elections.
The originating suit was filed by Mr. Fubara Dagogo and eight other claimants against the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC). The primary objective of the litigation is to secure a declaration that RISIEC is legally bound to accept the claimants as the authentic Chairmanship candidates for the August 30, 2025, Local Government Council Elections.
The claimants, who align themselves with the Chief Emeka Beke-led faction of the APC, allege that their names were officially submitted to RISIEC on August 13, 2025. However, they contend that the electoral body subsequently recognised and affirmed candidates put forward by a parallel APC faction, thereby undermining their mandate.
The aggrieved faction seeks an order of perpetual injunction restraining RISIEC from recognising the result of the primaries held on August 4, 2025, or any other date. Fundamentally, the Beke-led group is petitioning the court to declare them as the authentic winners of the election and to substitute those individuals currently presiding as chairmen across the twenty Local Government Areas won by the APC.
Following intense legal arguments from counsel representing both the claimants and the defendant, Justice Jumbo adjourned the matter. The November 5, 2025, date is specifically designated for a ruling on the pivotal issue of statute-bar jurisdiction.
The outcome of this jurisdictional challenge is exceptionally high-stakes, as it will determine whether the Court can proceed to hear the substantive matter. The ruling is expected to either uphold the existing tenures of the currently sitting local government chairmen or open the door for their immediate replacement by the opposing faction.
Adding a layer of complexity to the local political imbroglio, the national leadership of the APC recently moved to consolidate its structure in the state. Amid swirling reports of an impending change in the state chairmanship, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Felix Morka, issued a statement unequivocally reaffirming Chief Tony Okocha as the authentic Chairman of the Rivers State APC.
The statement explicitly refuted reports and claims made by Mr. Emeka Beke, the figurehead of the faction currently pursuing the court action describing such assertions as “false and misleading.”
“We wish to clarify, for the record, that Chief Tony Okocha is and remains the chairman of the Rivers State chapter of our party,” the National Publicity Secretary declared, urging members of the public and the media to disregard any reference to Mr. Beke as the State Chairman.
The ruling on November 5, 2025, therefore promises to be a watershed moment, not only for the local government administration in Rivers State but also for the legitimacy of the rival factions vying for control of the APC apparatus within the region.
