By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi
The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) has announced that every leadership crisis rocking the party for a long time now has been finally laid to rest following the judgement of the court.
The party also declared that it is therefore set to conduct its Primary Elections in preparation for the Local Government elections in some States in the Northern Nigeria.
The concerned states includes: Bauchi, Benue, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi and Kogi, in line with the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and the Relevant State’s Independent Electoral Commission guidelines.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued by APGA at the end of just concluded meeting held by the National Working Committee of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) of Northern Nigeria under the leadership of Chief Edozie Njoku in Bauchi, Bauchi State on the 28 day of July, 2024.
Chief Edozie Njoku was duly represented by the Deputy National Chairman (DNC) North, in person of Adamu Danjuma Musa; National Legal Adviser (NLA) Barrister Hamman Buba Ghide, Vice Chairman (VC) North Central Leonard Auta in company of some other Northern States’ Chairmen from Bauchi, Gombe and Plateau States.
The communique was read to Journalists by the Deputy National Chairman (North) of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Adamu Danjuma Musa.
APGA National Executive Committee (NEC) has issued guidelines for the conduct of the Party’s primaries for the Local Government elections in various Northern States as scheduled to be held on their respective dates in conformity with the State Independent Electoral Commission Guidelines on the conduct of party primaries.
Furthermore, in compliance with the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and the various State’s Independent Electoral Commission guideline the Timetable and Schedule of activities for the conduct of the 2024 Local Government Primary Elections in the State are obtainable on the SIEC website and as well as the APGA National and State’s offices.
The APGA primaries guideline and further information are available on the Party’s website or contact the relevant National Working Committee or National Executive Committee Officials noting that the primaries as stated above will be conducted on the basis of One Member One Vote (OMOV); one delegate one vote. No super members or delegates.
All party members are entitled to vote and our Nomination Forms are affordable while Voting will be innovative and convenient either Physically, online or SMS assuring that it will be secured, monitored by candidates and INEC, and secret as required by the law.
The guidelines for the primaries are open and accessible for transparency while the members’ list/voters list for each constituency or elective position will be available to all aspirants without discrimination.
The Party stated that it is committed to expanding the democratic space by providing a level playing field for all aspirants on its platform encouraging anyone who aspires to contest in free and fair primaries to join the Party.
Likewise, persons interested in voting for a candidate of their choice in the party primaries should do so without fear or favour because the Party preaches transparent political leadership and followership that frowns at money politics, bribery, violence, ‘short termism’, repression and corruption.
APGA stressed that it is pertinent to bring to the notice of the public that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has finally and formally recognized Chief Edozie Njoku as the authentic National Chairman of the party.
INEC’s recognition of Chief Njoku has put to rest the protracted legal tussle over who is the rightful National Chairman of the party.
A terse statement on Sunday by the Deputy National Chairman of APGA Adamu Danjuma Musa and made available stated: ‘The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has just confirmed and affirmed Chief Edozie Njoku as the National Chairman of APGA”.
However, INEC has confirmed the development on its website as the name of Chief Edozie Njoku has been conspicuously imprinted on the commission’s website along with his members of the National Working Committee.
Recall that the leadership crisis in APGA had exposed the INEC Chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu, as being partisan and a none adherent of the rule of law following his refusal to recognize Njoku as national chairman of APGA.
On November 7, 2022, Justice Mary Peter Odilli (rtd) had written a letter to Chief Edozie Njoku, titled: “Chief Edozie Njoku, National Chairman, All Progressives Grand Alliance…..Sir, Re: Request For Clarification Letter As Regards To The 9th of May, 2022 Correction Of Name By Your Lordship On The Supreme Court Appeal NO: SC/CV/687/2021”.
In that letter, Justice Odilli (rtd) recalled a letter dated 6th May, 2022, addressed to her as the Presiding Justice of the Panel and the other four Justices, which requested for correction of the 14th October, 2021, Supreme Court Judgment, wherein the name of Chief Victor Oye was erroneously inserted instead of the name of Chief Edozie Njoku, It’s on record that Justice Odilli (rtd) corrected that mistake by replacing Chief Victor Oye’s name with that of Chief Edozie Njoku on Paragraph 1 of page 13 of the 14th October, 2021 Judgment.
“The correction was made having cognizance that on the day of delivery of the judgment being 14th October, 2021, by a slip of the pen and tongue, the name of Chief Victor Oye was brought in. This error was pointed out to me by other members of the Panel who reminded me that Chief Victor Oye was not a party to the Appeal or the proceedings which emanated from the Jigawa High court.
However, in the course of the trajectory of errors, the name of Chief Victor Oye
kept recurring in the record of the judgment instead of the right party to the proceeding, Chief Edozie Njoku,” Justice Odilli stated.
The retired Justice noted that parties in the appeal and judgment of 14th October, 2021 were: Chief Jude Okeke (Appellant), while APGA, Chief Edozie Njoku (National Chairman, APGA for himself and on behalf of the members of the National working Committee (NWC) of APGA elected on 31st May, 2019, Alhaji Rabiu Aliyu, and INEC were respondents.
Following the correction, the jurist expressed hope that the situation would have been “clarified and the matter put to rest”.
On January 19, 2023, the Supreme Court through its Chief Registrar acknowledged and replied a letter by Chief Njoku dated October 7, 2022. In the apex court’s reply titled: “Chief Edozie Njoku, Request for authentication and confirmation of the supreme court judgement in suit no. SC/CV/687/2021, between Chief Jude Okeke and All Progressives Grand Alliance and others, the Chief Registrar advised Njoku to approach the Supreme Court by way of a motion to correct the accidental slip in the judgement delivered on May 9, 2022, by the then Justice Mary Peter Odili (rtd) in suit marked SC/CV/687/21.
Taking a hint from the apex court’s letter, Chief Njoku filed an application wherein
he sought the regularization of the amended judgment of Justice Mary Peter Odili (rtd). On March 24, 2023, the accidental slip, which was eventually corrected by the Supreme Court, restored Chief Njoku as the actual National Chairman of APGA, having been 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 by the Jigawa High Court without being joined as a party. “It is therefore crystal clear that the dispute which gave rise to Appeal Nos.
SC/CV/687/2021 and SC/CV/686/2021, was who should be the Acting National
Chairman of the 1st Respondent (APGA) and whether the National Chairman,
Chief Edozie Njoku, was validly replaced.
The suit had absolutely nothing to do with Chief Victor Oye” the Jurist held. As such, the Supreme Court unanimously held that Njoku’s application was
meritorious and graciously granted same as prayed.
Like Justice Lawal stated, it is instructive to note that the suit filed at the Jigawa High Court emanated from the May 31, 2019, APGA Convention held in Owerri.
“Funny enough, Chief Victor Oye, who laid claim to the National Chairmanship of APGA did not even participate in that Owerri Convention, having held a parallel
exercise at Awka, Anambra state,” It stated.
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 due to INEC’s failure to recognize Chief Njoku.
Aside a restraining interim order, the trial judge, Mohammed Madugu in a judgment on June 6, 2023, ordered INEC and Chief Victor Oye to obey the order of
the apex court recognizing Chief Njoku as APGA National Chairman.
“The act(s) of the Respondents refusing to obey and comply with the subsisting
judgments of the Supreme Court made on 14th October, 2021 and corrected on
the 24th March, 2023 and duly served on them amounts to disobedience of the
judgments and orders of the Supreme Court.
“The actions of the 1st Respondent (Oye) posing and parading himself and
occupying the Party’s secretariat as the National Chairman of APGA contrary to
the judgment and order of the Supreme Court made on 14th October, 2021 and
corrected on the 24th March, 2023 is in disobedience and in clear violation of the judgments of the Supreme Court”.
“An Order of injunction is hereby granted restraining the 2nd Respondent (INEC)
whether by itself, agents, privies, assigns, authorized representatives or
whosoever described from accepting, recognizing and dealing with the 1st
Respondent.
“It is well-established in legal jurisprudence that court orders must be obeyed and respected.
“Parties to litigation are duty-bound to adhere to the directives of the Court.
Disobedience of court orders undermines the sanctity of the judiciary and the rule of law. The 1st and 2nd Respondents have committed contempt by disobeying the subsisting order of this court made on May 10, 2023, and I so hold” Justice Madugu said.
However, INEC’s refusal to obey the enforcement order of the FCT High Court in suit marked FCT/HC/CV/4068/2023, prompted another round of litigation as the Njoku led group filed contempt proceedings against Prof Mahmood Yakubu and Chief Victor Oye.
In a judgement on November 9, 2023, Justice Madugu held that Prof. Yakubu and Oye were in contempt of Court as a result of their refusal to obey valid court orders.
However, Oye and INEC appealed, but on June 28, a 3-man panel of the appelate
court led by Justice Uchechikwu Onyemenam dismissed the two appeals and entered judgment in favour of the respondents, a development that made INEC to formally recognize Chief Edozie Njoku u as the National Chairman of APGA.