On Monday, January 27, 2020, Justice Augusta Chuku of a High Court sitting in Port-Harcourt, declined hearing a matter brought before her by Hon. Igo Aguma challenging the legality of the Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Rivers State.
Justice Chuku had in the previous sitting, suspended the planned Ward, Local Government and State Congresses of the Party pending the determination of the substantive matter.
But when the matter came up on Monday, the Judge dramatically withdrew from the matter, asking that it be reassigned to another Judge.
The development has once more, cast a delay in the resolution of the lingering crisis in the State APC
Speaking with Journalists, Tuduru Ede,a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN said the parties in the dispute will wait for the Chief Judge,CJ, of the State to reassign the matter to another Judge.
His views were also espoused by Echezuna Etiaba, counsel to Aguma who added that the next Judge will amongst other things, interprete the Constitution of the Party and determine the legality of the CTC formed by the National Working Committee,NWC of the APC.
On his part, a stakeholder in the Party, Barr. Chizi Enyi said it was a misnomer that the Judge didn’t vacate the Consequential Order she made in the matter before discontinuing with it.
His words: “The Judge instead of setting aside her earlier orders before sending back the case file for reassignment, knowing that her orders will not be binding on another judge, refused to do that showing bias and what she would have done if she is allowed to go on with the case file.”
