From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has accused the Government of Anambra State of attempts to inject some devious clauses into the state Local Government Council Act in clear distortion of the 1999 constitution.

The party noted that the amendment sought by the Anambra State Government was to the effect that National or State House of Assembly lawmakers should endorse the nomination forms of candidates of the Local Government Council Councillorship and Chairmanship positions instead of the State or National Chairmen of political parties.

In a statement on Wednesday, the National Secretary of APGA, Alhaji Muhyideen Imam, expressed concern over the move, describing it as
“Certifying Anambra State Government’s disdain for court judgment”.

“It has long been established that the devious clauses suggested for inclusion in the Anambra State’s Local Government Council Act were intended to sideline the Chief Edozie Njoku leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, which was elected at the Owerri Convention of the party and affirmed by the Supreme Court”.

Alhaji Imam stated that court documents filed by the Anambra State Government showed the clear and unambiguous position of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the issue of APGA leadership.

The APGA National Secretary hinted that the Anambra State Government had through one Sylvester Ezeokenwa, approached the Federal High Court, Abuja in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/966/2024, seeking a determination that the Supreme Court did not pronounce Chief Edozie Njoku as national chairman or validate the Owerri Convention of APGA that threw up the Njoku-led NWC of the party.

“But, in a counter affidavit deposed to by INEC through Ayuba Mohammed in response to the suit dated July 12, 2024, the electoral commission stated that while a Jigawa State High Court upheld the suspension of Chief Edozie Njoku as the National Chairman of APGA, further appeals against the judgment went through the Court of Appeal Kano Division up to the Supreme Court.

Alhaji Imam quoted INEC as informing the court that “On further Appeal to the Supreme Court in appeal No: SC/CV/686/2021 delivered on October 14, 2021, the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Court of Appeal and ordered that the Status Quo Ante Bellum before the suit was filed at the trial court in Jigawa State be maintained, which was the leadership led by the 2nd defendant (Chief Edozie Njoku).

“However, the said judgment of the Supreme Court contained a clerical error, which inserted the name of Victor Ike Oye as the Chairman as opposed to the name of the 2nd defendant (Chief Edozie Njoku), who was the main subject matter of the litigation.

“The said error was later corrected by the Supreme Court on March 24, 2023 in Appeal No: Sc/687/2021, where it was held thus: ‘It needs be stated at this point that the dispute being who should be the Acting National Chairman of the 1st respondent, APGA, and whether the Chairman, Chief Edozie Njoku, was validly replaced are within the confines of the internal affairs of the 1st respondent, which is not justiciable.”

The statement clarified further that INEC in its counter affidavit explained that despite the declarative ruling of the Supreme Court, Chief Ike Victor Oye-led faction of the 1st plaintiff in this suit (APGA) failed to comply with the decisions and went ahead to hold a National Executive Committee meeting on 18th April, 2023, wherein they agreed to hold the party’s National Convention.

“That it was based on the said convention that two (2) elected Executives of the 2nd defendant in this suit led faction initiated a suit at the trial court by an originating summons filed on 2nd April, 2023 in suit No: FCT/HC/4068/2023 and sought amongst others for an order directing the 1st defendant in this suit (INEC) to accept, recognize and deal with the 2nd defendants in this suit’s list of candidates.”

The APGA National Secretary said it could therefore be seen from the foregoing that INEC recognized that there were two parallel conventions on May 31, 2019 at Awka and Owerri respectively and the two were recognized.

“While acknowledging that the court has powers to validate or invalidate a convention, INEC declared that the Supreme Court totally validated the Owerri convention and all the acts that emerged from it, including the leadership of APGA” Alhaji Imam stated.

Imam also quoted INEC in it’s counter affidavit as saying, “If a court declares a convention valid, INEC as a creation of the law is bound to obey and adhere to Court judgments/decisions.

On the issue of tenure, the APGA National Secretary disclosed that the Supreme Court recognized that the tenure of the Executives that emerged from the Owerri convention was cut short by the Jigawa State High Court.

“Consequently, the Supreme Court returned the Executives that emerged at the Owerri Convention of APGA to their rightful positions, even as it considered the period that Ike Victor Oye held sway as an error of history” Alhaji Imam stated. END.