Politics
APGA Leadership Tussle: Njoku Wants INEC To Implement S’Court Judgment
National chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Edozie Njoku has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to accord him full recognition, following the judgement of the Supreme Court on the party’s leadership tussle.
Njoku who petitioned the Supreme Court to revisit what he called “the error” it its earlier ruling on the matter, noted that apex court did the needful on May 9 this year, lamenting however, that that INEC is yet to obey the judgment 34 days after it was given.
In a letter addressed to the chairman of the commission and copied President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila among others, Njoku wondered why the electoral umpire appears reluctant to obey the judgment of the highest court in the land.
Titled, “Ignoring Supreme Court Judgment: A threat to democracy,” Njoku stated: “Prior to the Anambra governorship election, the two APGA factions under the leadership of Dr. Victor Ike Oye and myself were locked in keen competition, as to who was the authentic National Chairman of APGA, and which Convention of the two factions conducted in Owerri and in Awka was legitimate.
“However, before any of us could submit names of candidates to INEC, Chief Jude Okeke rushed to Birnin Kudu in Jigawa State and filed a suit, in Suit No: JDU/022/2021. The suit was between Alhaji Garba Aliyu and Chief Jude Okeke and two others.
“Clearly, the Jigawa judgement affirmed the Owerri Convention and my suspension as National Chairman of APGA. Instantly, INEC obeyed the Jigawa Judgement declaring Jude Okeke as the National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Kindly note that Chief Victor Oye was neither a party to the suit nor was he mentioned in the entire matter.
“Surprisingly, at the Kano Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, the APGA leadership tussle was erroneously resolved in favour of Dr. Victor Ike Oye on October 14, 2021. In less than 24 hours, in total reverence to the Supreme Court Judgement, INEC replaced Jude Okeke’s name with that of Dr. Victor Ike Oye as the rightful National Chairman of APGA.
“Seven months later, our legal team discovered that Oye’s name was wrongly inserted where Njoku’s name ought to have been. On May 6, 2022, APGA as a Party called the attention of the Supreme Court to this fundamental error through a letter to Hon. Justice Mary Peter- Odili and other four Justices on that panel; requesting the Justices of the Panel to revisit the matter in line with the extant law.
“The Supreme Court Panel headed by Justice Mary Peter Odili committed time and energy to understudy the case and afterwards, the lead Judgement containing the error was rectified on May 9, 2022.
“Sir, for the purposes of clarity, Order 8 Rule 16 of the Supreme Court of Nigeria states: ‘the Supreme Court can Suo Motu or by a letter (application), review any judgment once given and delivered by it save to correct any clerical mistake or some error arising from any accidental slip or omission, or to vary the judgment or order so as to give effect to its meaning or intention’. This was what the Supreme Court relied on in this instance.”
The letter further read: “Now that the Supreme Court Judgement is in my favour, INEC has continued to prevaricate for over 34 ( Thirty Four Days now)! This is very unfortunate and seriously worrisome as it is a great threat to Nigerian democracy and rule of law! It is very insensitive and a very terrible precedence for your office to fail to or continue to delay the implementation of the judgement of Nigeria Supreme Court.
“Honourable Chairman, in spite of the two letters that we have written to your office requesting the Commission’s compliance with the said Supreme Court judgement, thirty four days (34) has gone and the Commission has continued to play a very dangerous and debilitative mind game on a matter that bothers on the survival or otherwise of the Party.
“I am as curious as any other Nigerian as to why it has taken this long for a Supreme Court judgment to be obeyed. It has never taken this long for the Commission to acknowledge Court judgements, considering the fact this is the same Suit that gave Jude Okeke the National Chairmanship of APGA at the Lower Court, which was swiftly complied with by INEC. When the Supreme Court erroneously gave Oye victory, INEC still obliged him.
“Few days ago, INEC resolved the issue of who is the authentic Presidential candidate of Labour Party. We are not unaware of the pressures and sensations that the APGA leadership tussle has attracted, but, doing the right thing would be walking the path less traveled by many and that would make all the difference.
“Permit me to digress a bit. Our journey in APGA since 2019, was simply to infuse and advance discipline and mainstream the APGA ideology which maintains that political parties are platforms for people to converge, congregate, ventilate and actualize their dreams of how they want their country to be; it is not a platform for primordial, parochial and ulterior pursuits.
“Finally, given your sterling performance and legacies in INEC, it is instructive to state that ‘the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stand in moments of comfort and convenience. Rather, where he stand in moments of challenge and controversy.’
“As posterity beckons, we look forward to your office’s immediate formal recognition as the lawful leadership of APGA in line with the extant laws upon which INEC was created and the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended.”
Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Joe Johnson, and other stakeholders have condemned the call by the embattled Martin Amaewhule-led members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for the arrest of Local Government Caretaker Chairmen in the state.
The Commissioner, who made his position known in a voice note he sent a live radio discussion programme in Port Harcourt, described the call as illegal.
He explained that the Local Government Caretaker Committees were empowered by the State Local Government law of 2018, stressing that since the amendment made to the law by former lawmakers in their tenure elongation bid was dismissed by the court, the 2018 law is still subsisting.
According to the Commissioner, the 2018 law provides a window of 90 days for caretaker committees in the event that election could not be held and urged the public to discountenance the call.
Meanwhile, the Coalition of Rivers State Leaders of Johnson Thoughts (CORSLOT), a socio- political organisation, has joined in condemning the call.
Convener of the Coalition, High Chief Sunnie Chukumele, described the call as an act of brigandage.
He said the call is not only unconstitutional but also capable of causing disaffection in the state.
Chief Chukumele argued that Martin Amaewhule lacked the locus standi to make the call since he was no longer a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“CORSLOT condemned the call, and we want to warn Martin Amaewhule against causing crisis in the state”, he said.
He said as elders of the state, the Coalition will continue to speak out against evil.
Also reacting, a former Organizsing Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Andoni Local Government Area, Elder Blessing Tiko, said the call was coming from someone that is seeking for relevance.
He also said Martin Amaewhule and the 25 former law makers had no locus standi to make such call as their positions were being contested in court, urging the police to ignore the call.
John Bibor
As the campaign for the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State heats up, the Edo State Government has challenged the candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Monday Okpebholo, to address the electorate directly and not through the over 150 spokesmen who speak on his behalf.
Addressing a press conference, Wednesday, the duo of Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, and Special Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, said that it was embarrassing that in the last three months, Senator Okpebholo had not addressed the people directly.
They therefore challenged the APC candidate to address the people of the state in any language of his choice, for, at least, five minutes.
Speaking, Mr Nehikhare noted that the APC had in the last three months issued over 150 press statements without one of the statements mentioning what the party intended to do for the people of Edo State, if elected.
Mr Nehikhare, who said that Governor Obaseki should be commended for the maturity he displayed in handling the violence that broke out in the state penultimate Thursday, bemoaned a situation where the APC had not deemed it necessary to mention one line item it planned to execute should it be elected in the forthcoming election.
“We led the charge for the N70,000 minimum wage, which the APC Federal Government has copied. Our candidate, Asue Ighodalo, has said that he would review it upward if elected. The APC has not said what it intends to do. The APC has not shown any innovative way to involve itself in the minimum wage.
“Since September last year, we introduced the free bus ride scheme, and we have extended it to November. Nowhere from the APC have we heard what it wants to do. We have employed over 5,000 people into the civil service, apart from the teaching service; there has been nothing from the APC,” the commissioner stated.
According to Mr Nehikhare, “The APC candidate is the only one with over 150 people speaking for him and none has said anything about what the APC candidate will do for the people. Is that how to do it? Won’t the candidate speak for himself?”
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State, Dr.John Okoroafor, has called on Rivers people, especially supporters of the PDP, to commit to the success of the forthcoming local government elections in the state.
Addressing newsmen recently in Okehi, headquarters of the LGA, on his readiness to contest the chairmanship seat of the council in the scheduled October 5, 2024 Local Government polls, Dr Okoroafor urged supporters of the party to remain calm, steadfast and supportive to Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s administration.
On political crisis in the state, he enjoined the people not to yield to threats of those he described as “enemies of Rivers development and progress,” but rather stay committed and proactive in their support to both the Governor and the PDP as it affects the coming elections.
Dr Okoroafor, a lawyer and Deputy State Coordinator of a political pressure group in the state, the PDP-Grassroots Support Base of Nigeria (PDP-GSBN), stressed that, “We should not allow ourselves to be intimidated or terrorised to fail in this civic responsibility.”
He said this is necessary so that leaders and loyalists of the party in the state would not be harassed, intimidated and arrested by security agents even on the day of election.
The PDP Chairmanship hopeful in the area also hinted that the opposition plans to engage in electoral violence and all manner of distractions.
“In all of these, be civil, calm, tolerant and focused, as the best is around the corner for us all”, he admonished.
The PDP chieftain appealed to Etche electorate in particular and Rivers voters in general to rise up to vote massively for all the PDP candidates in the polls.
Dr Okoroafor enjoined them not to vote in anyone that is opposed to the Governor Fubara -led government, arguing that the opposition lacked credibility and does not mean well for them.
He assumed Etche people that if voted in to power as Chairman, he will facilitate more development projects to the LGA, including jobs and other dividends of democracy.
Meanwhile, Dr Okoroafor said it had become necessary to encourage unemployed graduates to engage in skills acquisition rather than roaming the streets for employment opportunities, that do not exist.
Bethel Toby
-
Business3 days ago
Town Planners Lament Shortage Of Professionals
-
Niger Delta3 days ago
Edo Guber Poll: Ganduje Inaugurates Campaign Council …Vows To Reclaim State For APC
-
Business1 day agoOver $1.5bn Spent To Protect Nigeria’s Oil Installations -FG
-
Niger Delta1 day ago
Gunmen Rob, Kill Businessman In Bayelsa
-
News3 days ago
We’ll Respond To Planned Protest Professionally, IGP Assures
-
Sports3 days ago
CEAPOLY To Include Sports In Curriculum – Rector
-
News1 day agoECA Advises African Countries On Rising Indebtedness
-
Editorial1 day agoLearning From Kenya’s Protests