The political landscape in Rivers State has taken another dramatic turn, as the State High Court invalidated the July 2024 congresses of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), organized by allies of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The court, presided over by Justice Stephen Jumbo, declared the congresses at the ward, local government, and state levels void from inception, citing their non-compliance with legal orders.
The ruling further complicates the ongoing internal struggles within the PDP, exacerbated by the refusal of Wike’s faction to honor a court injunction halting the process.
The controversial congresses produced Chukwuemeka Aaron, a known Wike loyalist, as state party chairman, leaving Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his supporters on the sidelines.
The congresses, endorsed by the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) but opposed by the PDP Governors’ Forum, sparked a rift that saw Governor Fubara’s faction abandoning the party entirely. They defected to the Action Peoples Party (APP), where they participated in the October 5, 2024, local government elections, marking a significant realignment in Rivers State politics.
The G-60 group in the House of Representatives, through its spokesperson Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo), dismissed the congresses as an illegitimate gathering orchestrated by Wike for his loyalists. “It was nothing more than a jamboree with friends,” Ugochinyere remarked, adding that the process undermined the party’s integrity.
Amidst the fallout, the PDP in Rivers State is yet to officially respond to the judgment. Publicity Secretary Kenneth Yorwika confirmed that the party was reviewing the court decision, leaving its next course of action uncertain.
The court ruling and subsequent fragmentation of the PDP underscore deep-seated divisions within the party, raising questions about its ability to maintain cohesion ahead of the next electoral cycle.
The decision also serves as a blow to Wike’s influence in Rivers State, potentially altering the state’s political dynamics.
