‘Partisanship’: APGA sues INEC, demands copy of judgment recognizing Njoku as Chairman

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court over alleged partisanship and unlawful involvement in the leadership affairs of the party.

National Chairman of APGA, Barrister Sylvester Ezeokenwa, at a media conference in Abuja, said the party has approached an Abuja High Court on the grounds that INEC, has failed to provide it with available evidence justifying that Chief Edozie Njoku was once a national officer by the order of any Nigerian court.

He said the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/966/2024, filed Thursday 18 July 2024 before His Lordship Justice James K. Omotosho of Abuja High Court, APGA prayed that the court should mandate INEC, and ensure that the party leadership is not truncated by partisanship.

“We are at a loss regarding the recent false representation by INEC that Chief Edozie Njoku and his group are National Executives of APGA ‘by order of Court’. We challenge the commission (INEC) to produces any court order wherein the court has made any positive pronouncement recognizing Chief Edozie Njoku and his group as National officers of APGA.”

• Turji: Why I killed Bandits’ kingpin ‘pampered’ by Matawalle’s govt in Zamfara
• Flood wreaks havoc in Makurdi

“We firmly assert that no such court order exists. The current representation by INEC concerning Chief Edozie Njoku and his group is false, illegal, baseless, and without any justification,” Ezeokenwa said.

He lamented that INEC, as an institution created by the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, is duty-bound to be operated strictly within the confines of the law.

He said, “It portends grave danger for our democracy for INEC to arrogate to itself the unfettered power to determine who the National Officers of a political party are without recourse to due process. It is abundantly clear from the plethora of court judgements and rulings that the legitimate leadership of APGA is firm under Barrister Sylvester Ezeokenwa.

“As a law-abiding political party, we have written INEC through our team of lawyers on the correct position. We trust that INEC will act swiftly to rectify any misinformation and uphold the integrity of our party’s leadership as ruled by various courts of law.

“In light of these clear Judicial determinations, we urge INEC to correct this misinformation promptly. This sanctity of accurate information is critical to maintaining the trust and confidence of the public in our electoral process.”

Ezeokenwa recalled that INEC duly monitored the legitimate APGA National convention held on May 31, 2023, at the International Conference Centre (ICC) Awka, Anambra State, by the binding statutory provision, and subsequently issued a report.
He said that the CTC, of the monitoring report duly signed and issued to them by INEC contains the list of current and duly elected National Officers of APGA.

When contacted, officials of the INEC said they were not duty bound to display court orders, especially that they receive scores of judgements and that after due verification and obtaining certified true copy of such judgement is duty bound to obey and implement.

Also, Mr. Rotimi Lawrence Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said that INEC cannot be accused of partisanship in obeying laws, being a creation of law itself.

“There are provision for appeals that may be explored. INEC cannot be accused of partisanship in carrying out its legitimate duty and must obey court orders until it is vacated by a superior court,” Oyekanmi said.