The political atmosphere in Rivers State appears set for another round of tension as a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Assembly to produce crucial documents relating to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries in the state.
The order, which could open another chapter in the lingering political battle over the APC governorship ticket, is being viewed as a significant development in the legal challenge surrounding the party’s primary process, with political attention increasingly focused on the implications for the camp of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The court, presided over by Justice Muhammed Turaki, gave the directive following an application by a lawyer, Samuel Amatonjie, who is challenging issues surrounding the APC governorship primaries.
Specifically, INEC was ordered to produce certified true copies of the APC membership register submitted to the commission on April 20, 2026, alongside the letter notifying the electoral body of the party’s planned governorship primaries.
In a related order, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Clerk to the National Assembly were directed to produce certified true copies of the House of Representatives’ Hansard covering proceedings from April to June 2, 2026.
The requested documents are considered important to the plaintiff’s case and could provide further evidence for the court to examine the circumstances surrounding the APC’s governorship primary process in Rivers State.
The development is likely to heighten political anxiety among interested camps, particularly as the legal battle continues to raise questions about the processes and records surrounding the party’s governorship primaries.
Meanwhile, the proceedings were not without controversy as legal representatives of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Kingsley Ogundu-Chinda protested the late service of the plaintiff’s response to their preliminary objection challenging the court’s jurisdiction.
PDP counsel, Paul Daudu, (SAN) alongside counsel to Ogundu-Chinda, Dike Udenna, told the court that the late service had left them with insufficient time to respond to the counter-affidavit and consequently sought additional time to file their responses.
In his ruling, Justice Turaki directed all parties to ensure that the necessary court processes were properly filed and exchanged to facilitate the hearing of the substantive matter.
The court subsequently adjourned the case to December 10, 2026, for hearing.
With INEC and the National Assembly now under judicial orders to produce the requested records, attention will be on what the documents may reveal and how they could influence the ongoing legal contest.
