From Fred Itua, Abuja
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Friday, dismissed the Appeal filed by Victor Oye-led leadership of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), for lacking in merit and has ordered the Federal High Court to grant accelerated hearing to the Suit pending before it.
In the suit, Edozie Njoku/Jude Okeke group had sometime in 2019, applied for an order of mandamus compelling INEC to recognise them as the validly elected chairman of APGA following the withdrawal of a suit filed against him by Oye, wherein the judge vacated the order restraining APGA from recognising the former as APGA leaders.
Upon the application for the order of mandamus, Oye applied to the Court to strike out the name of APGA from the application for mandamus. Justice A. R. Mohammed in his ruling had held that he would take the ruling of the application to strike out the name of APGA together with the judgment of the substantive application.
While dismissing the appeal today,  the three man panel in a unanimous judgment read by Justice Jauro, affirmed the ruling of Justice A. R. Mohammed in reserving ruling on an interlocutory application before him until judgment, as delivering the ruling at interlocutory stage would touch on the substantive suit.
The Appeal Court therefore ordered the Federal High Court to grant accelerated hearing to the Suit
Reacting to the judgment, Okeke hailed the Appeal Court decision as a reaffirmation of his long standing believe that Oye days as an imposter parading as APGA Factional Chairman will soon