The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday held a shadow State Congress in an undisclosed location in Imo State in defiance of a Federal High Court’s order restraining the party from conducting the Congress.
In the exercise that was concealed from journalists, the suspended State Chairman of the party, Dr. Hillary Eke was returned as the chairman.
It would be recalled that the Federal High Court sitting in Owerri has stopped the APC from going ahead with the state congress slated for Saturday.
Five members of the party in the state had gone to court, seeking an interim order on the Congress.
The plaintiffs in the case are – Barr. Manchu Augustine, Anumhinu China Jude, Akudinobi Umunna, Ekwebelum Sammy Kelechi and Joseph Ilechukwu, while the respondents are the APC, INEC, the National Organising Secretary of the party, Osita Izunaso, the state chairman of the party, chairman of the ward and local government congress committees and six others.
Meanwhile, the state Secretariat of the APC was sealed off by stern looking policemen to apparently enforce the court order stopping the Congress.
Speaking from his hideout, Eke said the state Congress has been concluded, adding that the party was not aware of any court order stopping the Congress.
He said: “We decided to hold the Congress in an undisclosed venue to stop security agencies that have become partisan from truncating the exercise. We are not aware of any court order restraining us.
“We have 1,500 delegates from the 305 Wards in the state that participated in the Congress and I was returned as the state chairman of the party.”
But the state Secretary of the party, Mr. Obioma Ireagwu, said that no Congress was held in the state because of an existing court order stopping the exercise.
