The National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has distanced itself from the state congress of the party held on Tuesday in Ondo State.
According to the party, the decision was based on the need to comply with the ex parte order of the Federal High Court which restrained it from conducting the exercise in the state.
The National Secretary of the party, Senator Ajibola Bashiru, revealed this while appearing on Arise Television, emphasising that the APC will not flout any order of the court.
Justice Toyin Adegoke of the Federal High Court sitting in Akure, the state capital, had on Monday issued an ex parte order restraining the party and INEC from proceeding with the congress due to an application filed by some aggrieved members of the party.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was absent during the congress which produced 36 new officials for the party.
Ondo State APC had been faced with a series of crises which, in the past few weeks, had turned violent, claiming the lives of three people during the ward congress.
The chairman of the party in the state, Ade Adetimehin, was also beaten and injured along with some chieftains of the party during a stakeholders’ meeting.
Also absent from the congress were the deputy governor of the state, Olayide Adelami; the senators representing the state in the National Assembly; and House of Representatives members, except Jimi Odimayo, representing the Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency.
Meanwhile, Bashiru further disclosed after receiving the order, the congress committee which had already arrived in the state was contacted to stand down from conducting the exercise.
“We woke up to a court order by the Federal High Court, and as a law-abiding party, we directed our team in that place to wait until the order is vacated or there is a contrary order from the court authority. We are not a party of illegality.
“Even though we believe that the court order ought not to have been granted to restrain the holding of the congress because it is not a perishable item, when there is a positive order of court, you must respect it,” he said.
APC disowns state congress in Ondo, cites fear of contempt
