By Jonathan Elendu
Edozie Njoku, the national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has told P. I. N. Ikwueto, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), to stop representing the party in any lawsuits.
In a letter addressed to the SAN on September 26th, 2024 and filed at the federal high court on 30th September, Njoku also disengaged the following lawyers: Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, C. I. Mbaeri, Victor Agunzi, Tobechukwu Nweke, Chinedu Eze, Dr. Obinna Onya and Celestine Ezeokeke.
In the said letter, Njoku stated that the lawyers were being disengaged, “owing to some calculated, consistent and concerted efforts on your part to cause crisis in our party, through undue duplicity of suits (amounting to abuse of court process and forum shopping and brazen disrespect and disregard to subsisting orders/judgment of courts)”.
Njoku’s letter insinuated some duplicitous intent on the part of the lawyers.
“As Chief Victor Oye’s counsel, you are aware that it was myself (Chief Edozie Njoku, the National Chairman of APGA) that was removed in far away Jigawa and reinstated by the Supreme Court (SC/CV/687/2021) and the case dismissed as forum shopping, wherein the lead Justice, Hon. Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili rtd. inter-alia clearly stated:
“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 affair of the 1st Respondent which is not justiceable,” the letter reads.
The letter made some more damning claims against Ikwueto,.
“Despite knowing that the right of representation of the party as a legal entity rests with Chief Edozie Njoku led executives whose approval must be sought and secured before any litigation can be entered in the name of the party; you went ahead to institute a matter in the name of APGA in suit no: FHC/ABJ/CS/966/2024 as a plaintiff without the knowledge and approval of the party,” the document sighted by Elendu Reports said.
The APGA national chairman’s letter also expressed dismay at the bizarre behaviour of the legal luminaries.
“I truly find it strange that Learned Silks will go to Federal High Court to represent our party (APGA) without due authorisation from me as the recognised National Chairman of APGA by INEC.”
Njoku’s letter also stated many instances where the lawyers who were being disengaged employed all kinds of legal subterfuge and obfuscation to frustrate the party and his executive.
