The Chairman,
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),
Plot 436 Zambezi Crescent,
Maitama District,
Abuja.
Dear Sir,
INEC’S REFUSAL TO RECOGNIZE CHIEF EDOZIE NJOKU AS NATIONAL CHAIRMAN OF APGA
Prior to the Anambra Governorship Election, the two APGA factions under the leadership of Chief Edozie Njoku and Dr Victor Ike Oye were in a tussle over who was the authentic National Chairman of APGA and which Convention of the two factions one conducted in Owerri and the other conducted in Awka was legitimate.
However, before the two APGA leaderships could submit the names of their candidates to INEC, Chief Jude Okeke rushed to Birini Kudu in Jigawa State and filed Suit No: JDU/022/2021. The suit was between Alhaji Garba Aliyu and Chief Jude Okeke and 2 Ors. Under the Premise that the Owerri Convention was the legitimate Convention and the National Chairman Chief Edozie Njoku had been suspended.
Jude Okeke obtained judgment Affairming the Owerri Convention and also at the same time suspending Chief Edozie Njoku as National Chairman of APGA in the said suit. INEC instantly obeyed this Jigawa Judgement declaring Jude Okeke as the National Chairman of All ProgressiveGrand Alliance(APGA)
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 immediately replaced Jude Okeke’s name with that of Dr Victor Ike Oye as the rightful National Chairman of APGA. This was how Professor Charles Soludo emerged as the Anambra State Governor in the November 2021 Anambra Governorship election.
Unfortunately, no one ever contemplated that the purported victory of the Oye’s camp would be short-lived. It may interest the public to know that the rationale behind the Birini Kudu Suit was premised on the purported suspension of Chief Edozie Njoku as the APGA National Chairman and not Dr Victor Ike Oye. Notably, Chief Victor Oye was neither a party to the suit nor was he mentioned in the entire matter.
Months later, our legal team identified a fundamental error in the Supreme Court judgment. It was discovered that Oye’s name was wrongly inserted where Njoku’s name ought to have been.
On May 6, 2022, we wrote a letter to Hon. Justice Mary Peter- Odili and each of the four judges on that panel requested 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.
I am sad to inform you, sir, that it is exactly one month since the Supreme Court effected the change in its October 14, 2022, Judgement, strangely, INEC is yet to honour the decision of the Supreme Court In which I Chief Edozie Njoku was authenticated as the National Chairman of APGA, in spite of two letters that have been written requesting compliance with the said Supreme Court judgement. 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. This is the same Suit which gave Jude Okeke the National Chairman at the Lower Court and was obeyed by INEC instantly. When the Supreme Court erroneously gave Oye victory, INEC still obliged Oye.
A few days ago, INEC resolved the issue of who is the authentic Presidential candidate of Labour Party. What is really happening in INEC?
CHIEF EDOZIE NJOKU
National CHAIRMAN
APGA
Cc:
HE Mohammed Buhari,
President,
Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Distinguished Senator Ahmed Lawan,
President of the Senate.
Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Mr. Abubakar Malami, (SAN)
Minister for Justice and Attorney-General,
Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Mr.Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad,
Chief Justice of Nigeria.
