Chekwas Okorie, the founder and pioneer National Chairman of (APGA), has raised alarm over boasts by Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra, that he had procured a commitment from President Bola Tinubu to have the supreme court reverse itself on the judgment on the protracted leadership tussle of the party.
The Anambra governor, while addressing his supporters over the weekend told them that as far as he was concerned Edozie Njoku is not the chairman of APGA as the supreme court would “call up the case in a few days and reverse the judgment of the courts.”
Addressing media practitioners at the NUJ press centre in Abuja on Tuesday, Okorie said: “It is a common knowledge and a fact of the record of the Supreme Court of Nigeria that Chief Edozie Njoku and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) elected at the National Convention of the Party on 31st May, 2019, at Owerri, Imo State were the authentic leadership of the party.”
The APGA founder further accused Soludo of funding the crisis in the party.
“The erstwhile rival of Chief Edozie Njoku, Chief Victor Oye with the support and financial backing of Professor Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra State, introduced all manner of intrigues, blackmail and subterfuge which combined to deter INEC from complying with the clear judgment and order of the Supreme Court which had delivered a landmark judgment in Appeal No. SC 687/2021 of 24th March, 2023, which unequivocally and expressly affirmed Chief Edozie Njoku as the National Chairman of APGA,” he said.
Narrating a little part of the plethora of suits that culminated in the recognition of Edozie Njoku as National Chairman, Okorie said, “Following the clear provision of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Otumba Kamaru Lateef Odidan, National Vice Chairman, South West and Alhaji Rabiu Mustapha, National Welfare Officer …two members of the National Working Committee, who were elected at the National Convention of the party referred to above, proceeded to a trial court to enforce the judgment of the Supreme Court delivered on March 24th, 2023. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides that any court of record below has the power to enforce the judgment of the Supreme Court.”
Tracing Oye’s chicanery, Chief Okorie stated, “In the course of the trial at the FCT High Court, Bwari, in Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/4068/2023, Chief Victor Oye in obvious attempt to overreach the court, rushed to a High Court in Anambra state to procure a judgment fraudulently that allowed him to proceed with the Convention in spite of the Supreme Court judgment and the pendency of the suit for enforcement of the Supreme Court judgment and in spite of the clear order of the trial court restraining all parties in the suit from holding any Meetings, Congresses, Primaries, and Conventions until the determination of the suit before the court.
The court further restrained INEC from supervising or recognizing any action taken by the parties in the suit in disobedience of the order of court.”
According to Okorie, “Oye sponsored by Professor Chukuwma Soludo flouted all the orders of court and managed to convince INEC to recognize their illegal convention. On 6th June 2023, in a well-considered judgment, Hon. Justice Mohammed Madugu enforced the judgment of the Supreme Court and nullified all the illegal actions taken by INEC.”
The APGA founder also stated that though the duo of Victor Oye and Yakubu Mahmood were found guilty of contempt on Nov. 9th, 2023, the Court showed them mercy.
“The trial court in Suit No. FCT/HC/4068/2023 found Chief Victor Oye and Professor Mahmood Yakubu guilty of contempt of court and magnanimously allowed them 14 working days to purge themselves of contempt or face the full wrath of the law,” he said.
“Instead of obeying the judgment of Justice Madugu Mohammed, Oye and Mahmood pooh poohed the court.”
Okorie said: “Determined to denigrate the Supreme Court and ridicule the trial court, Chief Victor Oye proceeded to the Court of Appeal to set aside the judgment for the enforcement of the Supreme Court judgment and the judgment that found him and Professor Yakubu guilty of contempt of court.
“At the Court of Appeal in suit No. CA/ABS/CV/1169/2023 the appellant, Oye, formulated 6 grounds of appeal and a further 4 grounds of appeal for the judgment on contempt of court.
“On 28th June, 2024, the 3-man panel of Justices Ucheckukwu Onyemenam, A.I. Banjoko and P.C. Obiorah in a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Ucheckukwu Onyemenam resolved all the 10 grounds of Appeal in favour of the authentic leadership of APGA led by Chief Edozie Njoku as the National Chairman of APGA and subsequently dismissed the two appeals.”
Describing the recognition of Edozie Njoku and his colleagues by INEC as “a hard won victory which is being celebrated,” Okorie said Prof. Soludo was attempting to scuttle it.
“Only recently, after Prof. Soludo had spent some time in Abuja, he announced in a public event in Anambra state that he had concluded arrangements while at Abuja to get the Supreme Court to reverse itself and get INEC to withdraw the recognition the Commission had given to Chief Edozie Njoku and his executive.
“Professor Chukwuma Soludo has peddled the information among his close allies and the rebellious APGA faction working with him that he has secured the assurance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who he claimed pledged to influence the Supreme Court to review and reverse the judgment delivered on 24th March, 2023 in favour Chief Edozie Njoku. He further assured his faction of APGA that INEC would without delay withdraw the recognition given to Chief Njoku and his National Working Committee.
“Professor Chukwuma Soludo had boasted to me directly that he would use everything within his powers as the governor of Anambra State, to ensure that Chief Edozie Njoku would never be the National Chairman of APGA. He vowed that if for any reason he failed to stop Njoku from becoming National Chairman, he would resign from APGA within 24 hours and that APGA would cease to exist as a political party.
“At that point I took strong exception to his boast. I told him that since he was not God that made APGA possible 22 years ago when it was registered by INEC as a political party that he lacked the power to determine the survival of APGA.”
Chief Okorie told newsmen at the briefing that he reached out to Prof. Soludo in search of peace in APGA.
“Notwithstanding the altercation between Professor Soludo and myself, Chief Edozie Njoku and I have individually and separately extended hand of fellowship to him for peace to reign in APGA.
“Many well-meaning leaders from across the country who upon realizing that it was Professor Soludo that was the stumbling block to a peaceful APGA reached out to him several times. He remained obstinate and unyielding.
“Having secured an all-round victory for APGA in three different courts from the Supreme Court, back to the trial court up to the Appeal Court as narrated in this address, Chief Edozie Njoku, the authentic National Chairman of APGA has demonstrated maturity and magnanimity in victory.
“He has seized every opportunity both in private and public domains to stretch his hand of fellowship to Prof. Soludo and all members of APGA, irrespective of factional inclination, that the time to unite and rebuild the party has come.”
Okorie drew a parallel with Tinubu’s victory at the supreme court and the extant case and the damage that could have been done to the country if the President’s opponents had remained as obstinate and recalcitrant as Gov. Soludo.
“I know as well as so many well-meaning Nigerians that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a thoroughbred democrat and a progressive politician who after winning his presidential election of 2023, patiently and diligently successfully defended the outcome of the election both at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal and at the Supreme Court.
“When the Supreme Court pronounced him the duly elected president of Nigeria his strongest rivals knew that there must be an end to litigation. They threw in the towel and assumed their place as opposition parties while preparing for future opportunities.
“Nigeria would have become ungovernable with dire consequences to lives and property if those who lost in that election and the subsequent litigation had rejected the outcome of the Supreme Court judgment and resorted to self-help.
In expressing embarrassment at the way the governor invoked the President’s name, he said, “The worst misrepresentation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by Professor Chukuwma Soludo, the Governor of Anamabra State is to associate his name with the plot to commit democratic suicide.”
“It is yet to be seen the level of Professor Soludo’s vaunted connection and intrigues that will make the Supreme Court reverse itself in a judgment delivered by a panel of 5 Justices of the Apex Court of Nigeria.
“I believe that it is only in the hallucination of Professor Soludo that the Supreme Court at his behest will commit judicial suicide.”
