The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State for the second time dismissed an appeal instituted by the All Progressives Congress, APC, challenging the ruling of the Justice Chiwendu Nworgu of the Rivers State High Court, which nullified the party’s Wards, Local Governments, and State Congresses.
Recall that the Appeal Court had on December 12, last year, struck out the same appeal against the State High Court decision for filing out of the stipulated time in the constitution.
Last Tuesday, the APC had approached the Court of Appeal again, challenging the ruling of the same court, stressing that the lower court did not have the jurisdiction to hear the matter on the first instance.
But the visiting Appeal Court Panel constituted to handle the matter, struck it out on Wednesday, saying it was a pre-election matter.
Delivering the judgment on behalf of the panel, on Wednesday, Justice C.N. Uwa stated that the matter, which the lower court handled was a pre-election issue and ought to have been appealed and disposed off within 60 days after the judgment of the lower court.
Justice C.N Uwa stated that the panel’s hands are tied to go into the substantive case, stressing that a preliminary objection which bothers on the status of the case had earlier been taken by the same court.
