A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has struck out a consolidated suit by Ogechi Ogwu-Edwin and four others and Alaibo Soibibo and four others against the All Progressives Congress, APC, and former state Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Isaac Ogbobula.

The separate suits, which were later consolidated, had challenged the legality of the APC and its Caretaker Committee Chairman, Isaac Ogbogbula, to conduct congresses of the party in the state.

The claimants had approached the court, seeking an injunction against APC over the conduct of congresses.

The suit had prayed the court to stop APC from going ahead to do anything with the outcome of the congresses because they (applicants) were allegedly refused access to nomination forms after making payment for the said forms.

However, Justice Charles Wali in his judgement, yesterday, agreed with the defendants counsel’s prayer that the court should set aside the suit for lacking in merit on the ground of lack of proof of service.

Wali held that the claimants, instead of effecting service at the head office of the first defendant (APC), which is in Abuja, served them in Port Harcourt office, which was against the provisions of the law.

The court dismissed the suit for lack of jurisdiction, noting that the suit was statute barred and had become academic exercise.