The Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Committee (CTC) Chairman, Mr Isaac Ogbobula, has declared that the party will not participate in the forthcoming local government council elections in the state.

Ogbobula said on Saturday in Port Harcourt that the decision was because the “electoral process is faulty’’.

He further alleged that the constitution of the membership of the Rivers Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) was flawed because some of the members were card-carrying members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“The electoral process is already faulty with the constitution of the commission’s membership, so they cannot conduct a free and fair local government council elections.

“We decided that as a party that we are not going to contest to give credit to an illegitimate process, and we have the backing of the national secretariat of our party,’’ Ogbobula said.

He urged APC members in Rivers to ignore statements and actions of “some persons without the power and authority to participate in the elections’’.

“I call on our party members to continue to go about their activities without bothering whether anybody wants to give the impression that they are going to partake in the elections,’’ he added.

According to him, the APC in Rivers was focused on sensitising and mobilising its members for the forthcoming membership revalidation and registration of new members.

“We have a court judgment backing us to carry out the exercise and our interest is to have a hitch-free and successful exercise in the state.

“There is no court order stopping All Progressives Congress in Rivers from participating in the party’s membership registration and revalidation,’’ he stated.

Ogbobula urged APC members and intending members to participate in the exercise in preparation for the 2023 general elections.

(NAN)