Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

The Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division has confirmed the judgment of Federal High Court sacking all the 23 chairmen of Local Government Councils elected in the dying days of the All Progressives Congress,APC, government in the state.

The chairmen were elected few days to the end of the tenure of the former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.

The council chairmen, who were sacked by a court order had approached the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt seeking reinstatement, but the Court threw out their suit.

On Monday,January 18 the Appeal Court in Port Harcourt dismissed the suit filed by Mr Augustine Ngo and 22 others against the PDP and Governor Wike.

The Appeal Court declared that the suit filed by the former council chairmen lacked competence and was therefore dismissed.

Addressing newsmen after the judgment, Rivers State Attorney General, Emmanuel Aguma, SAN, described the Appeal Court judgement as a confirmation of the judgment of the Federal High Court which declared the council polls illegal.

Former Governor Amaechi had circumvented the law by illegally conducting local government council elections less than one week before the handing over on May 29, 2015.

PDP had filed a suit against the conduct of the council polls at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.

Despite a court injunction stopping Amaechi, he went ahead to conduct the election.