Disturbed by lingering leadership tussles rocking All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA),it’s National Chairman , Chief Edozie Njoku on Wednesday appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Attorney General of Federation Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN to prevail on Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to comply with Supreme Court order .
The Supreme Court in a judgement delivered on March 24, 2023 had recognised Njoku as the National Chairman of APGA but that decision seem to have been ignored by the electoral body who accorded recognition to Victor Oye .
Addressing the press on Wednesday in Abuja, Chief Njoku wondered why an agency of government will vehemently flout valid court orders and choose the ones he will obey.
“It’s not just that INEC is not obeying a Supreme Court judgment delivered on March 24, 2023; INEC has also disobeyed an injunction and an order of a High Court of the FCT, Bwari, to recognize me as the National Chairman of APGA.
“Instead of INEC to obey the enforcement judgement of the High Court or appeal same, they rushed and got a stay on a committal charge, which had given them 14-day grace period to purge themselves of contempt.
“The court has come out to say that INEC Chairman is in contempt of court and Victor Oye who submitted the names and held a congress and convention also in contempt.
“But that’s not our problem. We are calling on Nigerians, we are calling on President Bola Tinubu and also calling on the Attorney General of the Federation to look into the issue, where it is that a parastatal can get a stay from the Court of Appeal, on a committal judgement that already had been given.
“Prof Mahmood Yakubu and Oye are relying on the stay to flout and disobey a direct order of the court.
“We are therefore calling on every well meaning Nigerian to appeal to the INEC Chairman to obey a valid order of the court” Chief Njoku stated.
Recall that the Supreme Court had on March 24, 2023, in a suit marked SC/687/21, affirmed Chief Njoku, as the Chairman of APGA.
The apex court pronouncement followed an application by Chief Njoku, wherein he sought the regularization of the amended judgment of Justice Mary Peter Odili (rtd) delivered on May 9, 2022.
Njoku’s motion followed a letter of the Supreme Court to him on January 19, 2023, wherein the Court had addressed him as the National Chairman of APGA and advised him to approach the Court by way of a motion to correct the typographical slip.
The accidental slip which was corrected by the Supreme Court, restored Njoku as the actual National Chairman of APGA, that was wrongfully removed by a Jigawa High Court in Suit No: JDU/022/2021 between Alhaji Garba Aliyu and Chief Jude Okeke & 2 Ors.
In a lead Judgment, Justice Garba Lawal held that it was Chief Njoku that was wrongly removed at Jigawa without being joined as a party, and held that his application was meritorious and consequently granted same as prayed.
Flowing from the apex court judgment, two National officers of APGA, Otumba Camaru Ogidan and Alhaji Rabiu Mustapha, approached a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Bwari to enforce the judgement of the Supreme Court due to INEC’s refusal to recognize Chief Njoku.
Again, the trial judge, Mohammed Madugu in a judgement on June 6, 2023, ordered INEC and Chief Victor Oye to obey the court order by recognizing Chief Njoku as APGA National Chairman.
On November 9, 2023, Justice Madugu held that Prof Yakubu and Oye were in contempt of court by refusing to obey valid court orders.
Meanwhile, the APGA National Chairman has expressed the readiness of the party for the forthcoming Edo and Ondo elections.
He disclosed that party primaries for the governorship elections in the two States are expected to commence next week and last for about one month, adding that the party’s timetable will soon be out.
“This is to inform the general public of our Party’s readiness, commitment and determination in putting forward Candidates for these two Governorship elections; irrespective of the obstacles and hurdle that have been put in place in our way by Prof Yakubu Mahmood’s refusal to recognize me as National Chairman as affirmed by the Supreme Court, and ordered by the FCT High Court in Bwari, as rightful National Chairman of APGA” Njoku said.
Njoku urged the people of Edo and Ondo states, that APGA is a party that has a lot to offer them, irrespective of any setbacks that they might have been passing through.
“I want to assure all that governorship aspirants from Edo and Ondo states that have been calling to express their willingness to contest on our party platform that they should be rest assured that a free, fair and transparent in primary which has remained elusive to others will be made the cardinal virtue and practice in APGA” Chief Njoku declared.