Breaking: APC faction in Imo state disobeys court order, holds congress at secret venue

- A faction of the All Progressives Congress in Imo state has gone ahead to conduct the state congress on Saturday, May 19

- The faction of the party disobeyed an injunction by the federal high court in Owerri, Imo state capital, refraining the party from conducting the exercise

- The state secretary of the party, Obioma Ireagwu, said that disciplinary actions would be taken against those who took part in the exercise

Despite court order stopping the congress of the APC in Imo state, a faction of the party in Imo state has gone ahead to conduct the state congress on Saturday, May 19.

The operatives of the state police command numbering over 200 with about 20 operational vehicles barricaded the state secretariat of the All Progressives Congress as there was tension in Owerri, the Imo state capital on Saturday, Punch reports.

NAIJ.com notes that arms-bearing policemen believed to be acting on the instruction of the new state commissioner of police, Dasuki Galadanchi, to stop the APC state congress after the injunction, blocked the secretariat.

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However, the state congress was conducted in an undisclosed venue by some members of the party.

Hilary Eke, the party chairman in the state, said that the idea was to ensure that security agencies who had become partisan did not truncate the exercise.

According to him, over 1,500 delegates from the 305 wards of the state were electing state executive members of the party under the supervision of officials from the national secretariat, and members of staff of Independent National Electoral Commission.

He said: “Over 1,500 delegates have elected the state executives. The venue of the congress was not disclosed because of security reasons. INEC officials and officials of the party from Abuja are here.

“Okorocha is not part of the congress; the delegates are the ones electing the state executive. The congress is very peaceful and we are working hard to make sure that the people take back Imo APC.”

According to the state secretary of the party, Obioma Ireagwu, the party chairman risked a jail term for defying an order of a court of competent jurisdiction.

He said that disciplinary actions would be taken against those who took part in what he described as 'flagrant disobedience to an order of the court', adding that in due course, the party would conduct its congresses, starting from the ward to the state level.

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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that a federal high court in Owerri, Imo state, ordered the All Progressives Congress (APC) to refrain from conducting today, Saturday, May 19, congress or any other congress in the state, pending the determination of a suit filed by Mbagwu Augustine and four others against the APC and 10 others.

In the motion exparte filed on Thursday, May 17, the plaintiffs sought “an order of interim injunction restraining the 1st to 10th defendants, their privies, servants, agents or any one acting on their behalf or any organ of the All Progressives Congress from holding a local government area congress of the APC or any other congress in Imo state pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction”.

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Source: Naija.ng