The leadership crisis tearing through the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress took a decisive turn on Friday, as the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt buried the Tony Okocha-led executive and handed Chief Emeka Beke a fresh judicial mandate to reclaim the party’s reins in the state.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Elfreda Williams-Dawodu, the appellate court upheld the December 20, 2024 ruling of the Rivers State High Court, which had nullified the ward, local government, and state congresses that produced Okocha as chairman. The decision effectively voids every action, nomination, and representation made by the Okocha faction between December 2024 and May 2026, leaving the Beke-led executive as the only legally recognised leadership structure in the state
What the Appeal Court Ruling Means for Rivers APC
For months, the party in Rivers has functioned with two parallel executives—one loyal to former governor Rotimi Amaechi, led by Beke, and another backed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, headed by Okocha. The national leadership of the APC in Abuja had largely sidestepped earlier court orders reinstating Beke, but this latest judgment from a superior court has tightened the legal noose around the Okocha camp.
Darlington Nwauju, spokesperson for the Beke faction, announced on Monday that all nominations from the recently concluded APC primaries in Rivers are now null and void. Among those affected is Kingsley Chinda, a Wike ally who had emerged as the party’s governorship candidate after Governor Siminalayi Fubara withdrew from the race. Nwauju said the faction has also asked the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission to withdraw certificates of return issued to candidates produced by the Okocha executive during the August 2025 local government elections.
Beke Faction Moves to Expunge Wike-Backed Candidates
Nwauju did not mince words. He described the Okocha-led committee as an “illegal executive” whose members were “neither elected executives nor caretaker committee members” recognised by any court. He urged the APC National Working Committee to immediately review all primaries conducted in the state and expunge every record tied to what he called an “impersonator” leadership structure.
“The congresses of November 23, 2024 and November 30, 2024 have been buried,” Nwauju said, adding that only a higher court or a structured political settlement could alter the current legal standing.
Rivers APC Crisis: What Happens Next?
The Okocha camp has pushed back, with some members insisting the judgment does not threaten their hold on the party machinery. But with successive court rulings now stacked against them, their room for manoeuvre is shrinking. The national APC leadership, which has so far resisted implementing the August 2024 High Court order reinstating Beke, now faces the awkward prospect of defying an appellate court.
For ordinary party members in Rivers, the verdict offers clarity, but not peace. The factional war has already bled into the state assembly, where lawmakers recently moved to impeach Governor Fubara—a development the Beke faction condemned as a “choreographed legislative coup.” Whether this judicial breakthrough will calm those waters or stir fresh turbulence remains to be seen. One thing is certain: Emeka Beke is back in the saddle, and the courts have said so—again.
Reps Minority Leader Chinda Defects to APC, Resigns Post
In a related the House of Representatives was thrown into fresh drama on Tuesday as Speaker Tajudeen Abbas read a letter from Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda announcing his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress. The defection letter, dated April 23, 2026, came as a surprise to many, even though whispers had been circulating for weeks. Chinda, a key ally of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, immediately resigned his position as Minority Leader after the announcement.
This move marks another twist in Nigeria’s ever-shifting political landscape, especially in Rivers State where Chinda recently emerged as the APC governorship candidate for the 2027 election. Lawyers, politicians and ordinary Nigerians are already asking questions about the timing and the rules around crossing the carpet.
Why Kingsley Chinda Defected to APC Amid Controversy
For months, Chinda had been walking a tightrope. He held the opposition Minority Leader seat in the Green Chamber while quietly positioning himself within the ruling APC. Sources close to the matter say he had already resigned his PDP membership before picking up the APC governorship form and going through the party’s screening process. But the formal announcement only came today when the Speaker read the letter on the floor of the House.
Many in Rivers politics see this as the latest chapter in the long-running battle between political heavyweights in the state. Chinda’s alignment with Wike, who himself has deep APC connections, appears to have paved the way. Yet critics are calling it political opportunism, pointing out that a man leading the opposition caucus cannot simultaneously chase the governorship ticket of the ruling party without raising eyebrows.
