By Daniel Kanu

Barely 24 hours after it boasted that the Supreme Court judgement voiding the congresses that produced its officials in Rivers State has nothing to do with its governorship and legislative primaries in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday made a dramatic volt-face,  saying it would conduct fresh congresses in rivers State.

On Thursday, the ruling party insisted that the candidature of Mr. Tonye Cole for the 2019 governorship election in the state was inviolate.

A statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Lanre Issa-Onilu said:

“In view of conflicting interpretations that have greeted the recent verdict of the Supreme Court on the contentions among our members in Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), it has become necessary to clarify that the Supreme Court’s verdict has nothing to do with  the primaries conducted for the governorship and legislative positions in the state.

“Therefore, the candidature of Arch. Tonye Cole along with his running mate, Hon. Victor Giadom remains inviolate. The list of our candidates for the governorship, National Assembly, and House of Assembly have been processed by the National Working Committee (NWC) according to the INEC guidelines.”

Read also: https://www.thenicheng.com/supreme-court-verdict-has-nothing-to-do-with-rivers-primaries-tonye-cole-candidature-inviolate-says-apc/

But on Friday, the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, announced the decision of the party to conduct fresh congresses in Rivers State.

According to him, the Supreme Court judgement in the case of Rivers State was clear that the congresses conducted by the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee was a nullity because they were conducted in defiance of a subsisting court order restraining them from doing so.

Oshiomhole said, “Democracy is a celebration of the rule of law, not the rule of might.”