APGA Leadership Crisis Edozie Njoku Not A Party To The Suit – Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has stated that Edozie Njoku was not added as a party at any point in its judgement delivered on 14 th of October 2021 in the appeal filed against the decision of Court of Appeal, Kano Division by Jude Okeke in respect of party leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

The court said the original Parties in the suit are Jude Okeke who is the Appellant and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); Victor Oye; Rabiu Aliu and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as Respondents as against
raging controversies and misconception of the judgment .

In a statement released by Festus Akande, Director, Press and Information of the apex court, today, Thursday, 1st September 2022, he stated that the appeal arose from a Primary Election conducted by the party on the 31st of May, 2019 at Owerri, Imo State, in which the Rabiu Aliu was elected as Deputy National Chairman (North).

Aliu by Originating Summons, commenced an action claiming among other reliefs, to be automatically recognized as the Chairman of the Party on the ground that the Chairman who was then suspended had been replaced by someone other than him, the trial Court dismissed the suit and confirmed Jude Okeke as the Party’s Chairman.

Unsatisfied with the judgment, Aliu approached the Court of Appeal, Kano Judicial Division, at that point, APGA and Victor Oye sought for leave to be joined and it was granted.

However, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal (of Aliu) for lack of jurisdiction, as all the issues in contention took place in Imo State and not Jigawa State and the same appeal court reaffirmed Chief Victor Oye as the authentic national chairman of APGA whose convention in Awka was the authentic, validly and legally conducted convention.

Being unsatisfied with the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Jude Okeke appealed to the Supreme Court against the aforementioned parties. It was at this stage that Edozie Njoku brought an application to be joined as interested party in the matter.

However, on the date of the hearing at the Supreme, the whole appeal (from Jude Okeke) was dismissed and all the motions for joinder (from Edozie Njoku) were struck out, having been overtaken by events. That decision was based on the premise that such action had been severally adjudged to be unjusticeable by virtue of the varied subsisting Supreme Court judgments in respect of intra-party disputes.

Recall that the Supreme Court however reaffirmed the judgment of Court of Appeal, Kano divison, that affirmed, Chief Victor Oye (the second Respondent) as the National Chairman of APGA.

Daily News Reporterd