The All Progressives Congress (APC) chapter in Rivers State has said that it has launched a lawsuit against Executive Order 21 and Executive Order 22, two state government directives that forbid political party activity.
Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike recently signed Executive Order 21, which prohibits political parties from using public schools for political reasons without first receiving Ministry of Education approval and paying a non-refundable fee of N5 million.
The regulation also stipulates that if the parties want to stage a political rally at a public school, they must submit a written request to the education commissioner two weeks beforehand.
Wike prohibited political parties from using private homes as campaign headquarters in his Executive Order 22.
According to Sogbeye Eli, spokesman for the state's APC campaign council, following the orders would be the same as condoning abnormalities, he told reporters in Port Harcourt yesterday.
Eli declared, “Our party will not apply to anybody for using public facilities for campaigns. That will amount to recognising irregularity. We have already approached the court to challenge Executive Orders 21 and 22. So, let the court decide on that.”
He claimed that the PDP’s efforts to ensure that it was the only political party represented on the ballot in the upcoming general election in 2023 had been rendered futile by the Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn the Federal High Court’s ruling excluding APC candidates from the poll.