A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has dismissed Hon. Chukwuemeka Aaron as the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, alongside other party executives.
Presided over by Justice Stephen Jumbo, the court also invalidated the PDP’s ward, local government, and state congresses conducted in July 2024.
The ruling stemmed from a dispute over the legitimacy of the congresses organized by a faction of the party aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike. The congresses were controversial, with certain party members questioning their legality.
The faction loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who has been at odds with Wike, alleged that its members were deliberately sidelined during the process.
Notably, in July 2024, Justice Charles Wali of the State High Court had issued an order halting the congresses. However, the PDP’s national leadership disregarded the ruling and sanctioned the events.
The ruling follows closely on the heels of a similar judgment last month, in which another High Court nullified the congresses of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. Those congresses had resulted in Chief Tony Okocha emerging as the party’s state chairman.
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