Three stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State have instituted a suit against the party’s factional chairman, Aaron Chukwuemeka, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), the PDP and the Rivers State Government over the nomination of chairmen, vice chairmen and councillors for the last local government elections in the state.
The claimants, Enyi Uchechukwu, Wisdom Kalio and Uche Amadi, in an originating summons, are asking the court to determine whether Aaron Chukwuemeka, whose emergence they say followed congresses that have since been nullified, can validly submit a list of candidates to RSIEC for the just-concluded local government elections, in view of an earlier judgment of the Rivers State High Court against his emergence.
They also want the court to determine whether the Peoples Democratic Party validly presented a list of candidates to RSIEC through Aaron Chukwuemeka to enable the party’s candidates participate in the August 30, 2025 council elections.
Among other reliefs, the claimants are seeking a declaration that the PDP ward, local government and state elective congresses conducted on July 27, 2024 and August 10, 2024 are a nullity, having been set aside by the Rivers State High Court.
They contend that Chukwuemeka, being a product of the nullified congresses, lacked the competence and capacity to conduct party primaries and submit any list of candidates.
The claimants are also asking for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents or privies from interfering in the internal affairs of the PDP with regard to the nomination and presentation of candidates for elective positions.
Our correspondent reports that when the matter came up in court, counsel to the claimants, Glory Chizim-Chinda, orally applied for substituted service on the second and third defendants. The presiding judge, Justice Stephen Jumbo, granted the application and ordered that the court processes be served at the PDP state secretariat on Aba Road, Port Harcourt.
Justice Jumbo, before adjourning the matter to February 9, 2026 for hearing of an application for joinder, also directed claimants’ counsel to serve the processes on the Port Harcourt City Council chairman, his vice and councillors; the Obio-Akpor Council chairman, his vice and councillors; and the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Council chairman, his vice and councillors.
Meanwhile, counsel to RSIEC and the Rivers State Government, S. Ogunka, informed the court that they had filed a preliminary objection to the suit.
Speaking with journalists after the court session, claimants’ counsel, Glory Chizim-Chinda, said his clients approached the court based on a judgement delivered by Rivers State High Court sometime in the year 2025, to the effect that a particular primary which purportedly produced one Aaron Chukwuemeka as the PDP Chairman of Rivers State was set aside by a court of competent jurisdiction.
He explained that Chukwuemeka has continued to issue circulars, notices, correspondences which are contrary to the judgement of the High Court that nullified the election that produced him, arguing that any action taken by him is declared null and void.
