Court Dismisses Suit by Beke-Led APC Faction Against RSIEC

A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has dismissed a suit filed by Fubara Dagogo and eight others, members of the Chief Emeka Beke-led faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC), against the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) over the nomination of candidates for the August 30, 2025, local government elections.

The plaintiffs had approached the court to challenge RSIEC’s refusal to accept the list of candidates submitted by their faction and to replace them with those currently occupying the councils, allegedly submitted by the Tony Okocha-led faction of the party.

Delivering judgment, the presiding judge, Justice Stephen Jumbo, held that although the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended) does not explicitly define a pre-election matter, the present suit falls under the category of a pre-election matter as provided in Section 285, Subsection 14 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Our correspondent reports that while counsel to RSIEC, representing the State Ministry of Justice, declined to comment on the ruling, counsel to the plaintiffs, James Allen-Umeni, described the decision as a well-considered judgment but said his clients would study it to determine their next line of action.