A factional executive of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday submitted a formal petition to the National Chairman of the party, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, urging the party to nullify the Tony Okocha-led Caretaker Committee in the state.

Led by Chief Emeka Beke, the group challenged the legitimacy of the Okocha-led committee, which was constituted in 2023 under the leadership of former APC National Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje. The appointment has since caused deep division within the party in Rivers State.

In their petition, signed by Chief Emeka Beke and the State Secretary, Sam Sam Etetegwung, the faction argued that the dissolution of the previous state executive was unlawful. They cited a judgment in Suit No. PHC/3592/CS/2023, delivered by Hon. Justice S. H. Aprioku of the High Court of Rivers State, which set aside the purported dissolution and affirmed the Beke-led executive as the legitimate leadership of the Rivers APC until October 2025.

The petition read in part:
“We are members of the State Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress, Rivers State Chapter, and write in that capacity.
We hereby bring to your attention the fact that following the attempt to unlawfully dissolve the Rivers State leadership structure of the All Progressives Congress sometime in 2023, we, through the State Secretary, Sam Sam Etetegwung, filed Suit No. PHC/3592/CS/2023… challenging the validity and propriety of the said dissolution.”

The petitioners maintained that the ruling, which upheld their tenure, remains binding and has not been overturned by any appellate court. They also referenced a recent decision by the APC’s national leadership extending the tenure of elected state executives to December 2025, welcoming the development.

In addition, they drew the National Chairman’s attention to another court ruling Suit No. PHC/3859/CS/2024, delivered by Hon. Justice Obomanu which invalidated the purported election of the Tony Okocha-led faction.

They appealed to the National Chairman to suspend the scheduled local government primaries planned by the Okocha committee and to authorize the Beke-led executive to oversee the process, in line with existing court judgments.

“Flowing from the above, therefore, we express our desire to work with the new national leadership of the Party in actualizing the lofty ideals of the Party, particularly in Rivers State,” the petition concluded.