BREAKING: Court Orders INEC To Restore Ezeokenwa As APGA Chairman

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that Edozie Njoku cannot present himself as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Justice James Omotosho declared that no valid court order, including any Supreme Court judgment, supports Njoku’s claim to the position.

The decision followed a lawsuit filed by APGA and its legitimate National Chairman, Sylvester Ezeokenwa, who challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for recognizing Njoku’s faction.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/966/2024, the plaintiffs argued that INEC erroneously replaced Ezeokenwa’s name and that of his executive team with Njoku’s on its website on July 9, 2024.

Justice Omotosho ruled that INEC’s actions were unlawful, emphasizing that the Supreme Court had already settled the party’s leadership dispute in a 2021 ruling, affirming Victor Oye as the valid APGA chairman. Following Oye’s tenure, a legitimate convention held on May 31, 2023, elected Ezeokenwa and his team, with INEC monitoring and validating the process.

“There is no subsisting court order supporting INEC’s action,” Justice Omotosho stated. He further explained that the Supreme Court had ruled that leadership disputes within political parties were internal matters, beyond judicial intervention, and there was no legal basis to recognize Njoku’s faction.

The judge also referred to previous legal actions by Njoku, who had unsuccessfully argued that the Supreme Court had mistakenly excluded his name from the leadership dispute. Both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court Registrar’s letter confirmed that no legal authority recognized Njoku as the chairman of APGA.

Justice Omotosho concluded that Ezeokenwa’s election as the legitimate APGA chairman was valid and upheld by the law. The court then nullified INEC’s decision on July 9 and ordered the commission to restore Ezeokenwa’s leadership on its records. A mandatory injunction was issued compelling INEC to revert to the status quo as of July 8, ensuring Ezeokenwa and his executive team are recognized as the rightful leaders of APGA.

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