Revisiting APGA Leadership Crisis

Despite the Supreme Court pronouncement that recognised Edozie Njoku as the authentic chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the refusal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to obey the judgement has ensured that the leadership crisis rocking the party has continued unabated. Adedayo Akinwale writes

While political parties are gearing up for the commencement of the official campaign in September ahead of the 2023 elections, the leadership crisis rocking the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) has continued unabated as political gladiators continue to battle for the soul of the party.

The battle of supremacy between Edozie Njoku and Victor Oye over the chairmanship position of the party has ensured that things are no longer at ease within the party. With political campaigns going full blast next month, these are not the best of times for APGA, a party touted to be a regional political force during its formation 20 years ago.

How the crisis started

The crisis in the party started when the then  National Chairman of the party, Victor Oye decided to contest for a second term in office.

Oye set machinery in motion to prepare for his second stint in office when his party conducted  the Ward, Local Government and State congresses that led to the party’s national convention held in Owerri on May 31, 2019.

Aftermath of the congresses, Oye allegedly cancelled the processes because he smelled that delegates that emerged from the exercise  were not likely to honour him with their votes for a second term.

After upturning the congresses, Oye allegedly sacked members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and handpicked new members, at a meeting in the Government House, Awka, and picked  a new convention venue, which was later held in Awka.

To ensure the plans pan out perfectly, Oye decided to use the tenure of party functionaries to garner votes for the Awka convention, but unknown to him that their tenure had already elapsed.

Disenchanted by the attempt to change the rules in the middle of the game,  APGA officials, including members of the BoT he dissolved approached various courts in Delta and Oyo States, where they secured an injunction against holding the convention in Awka.

Based on the court injunction against the Awka convention, the APGA convention was held in Owerri and Chief Edozie Njoku was elected as National Chairman alongside other members of the National Working Committee (NWC).

Meanwhile, with the  support of  the immediate past  Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, Oye held on to the position, claiming that he was equally elected at the Awka convention.

As a result, both men are running the affairs of the party from different secretariats, complete with two national working committees.

While the battle for the soul of the party continues, Oye-led faction elected the former Chief Judge of Anambra state and legal luminary, Prof. Peter Umeadi as its presidential candidate in the 2023 election, while the Njoku-led faction produced the founding national chairman, Chief Chekwas Okorie, as the presidential candidate.

War of words between Njoku and Oye

Following the Supreme court judgement that sacked Oye, and  crowned Njoku as the chairman of the party, war of words ensued between Oye and Njoku and it was at this point that all hell was let loose with a barrage of attacks.

Oye drew the first blood when he accused Njoku of working to distract as well as destabilize APGA.

According to him: “APGA is the real party; our last convention was held on 31st May, 2019. Since 2019, we have not had factions in APGA. All the people parading themselves as leaders of APGA are meddlesome interlopers”.

“After our 2019 convention, Edozie Njoku went to Owerri to elect himself chairman. This country must be a country of law and order. There is only one leadership in APGA. I want the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be fair in their judgment. We must deal with the people causing trouble in this country.”

Njoku wasted no time in responding to Oye, insisting that the apex court in the country, in May, 2022, recognized him as the substantive national chairman of APGA.

He said: “As a political party, we have noticed a series of attempts to confuse the salient issues relating to the recent Supreme Court judgment by some individuals in a bid to create confusion where none exists.

“Recall that ever since the nation’s apex court declared that the removal of Chief Edozie Njoku, as the national chairman of APGA was illegal and non-justifiable; some misguided individuals whose stock in trade is to benefit from crisis, went to town with the narrative that the pronouncement of the Supreme Court was forged.

“We wish to state that one Jude Okeke claimed that he assumed the position of the acting chairman of the party after Chief Edozie Njoku, who emerged from the National Convention of APGA, which held in Owerri, Imo State capital on May 31, 2019, was suspended.”

Barrage of court cases

Njoku pointed out that on the basis of that false claim, the Jigawa State High Court sitting at Birnin Kudu ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should deal with the said Okeke and uploaded the name of the governorship candidate submitted by him for the November 6, 2021, Anambra State Governorship Election.

Dissatisfied by that Jigawa State High Court ruling, Oye, who had been in court approached the Court of Appeal, Kano Division, praying that the judgment of Jigawa State High Court be set aside.

But after listening to the arguments of the counsel to the parties in the suit, the Court of Appeal set aside the ruling of the Jigawa State High Court on the basis that the court lacked territorial jurisdiction to entertain the matter, which amounted to forum shopping.

Stunned by the Appeal Court in Kano’s reversal of the Jigawa State High Court ruling that empowered him to submit the name of the governorship candidate to INEC, Okeke went to the Supreme Court on appeal.

In its judgment, a five-man panel of Supreme Court Justices headed by Justices Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili, dismissed the appeal, noting that the suspension of the national chairman, Njoku, was non-justifiable.

Other members of the apex court panel include Kudirat Motomore Olatumbo Kekere-Ekun, Mohammed Lawal Garba, Ibrahim Mohammed Musa Saulawa and Emmanuel Akomaye Agim.

The Supreme Court declared: “With all the events happening and all the parties directly involved present in Imo State at the material time, the 3rd Respondent manifestly embarked on what has now become known in our Judicial Jurisprudence as ‘Forum Shopping’ by going to initiate the action in the High Court of Jigawa State instead of the High Court of Imo State, where all the facts and events giving rise to the cause of action are shown to have occurred or happened.”

Moreso, on the clerical error purporting that it was  Oye that was suspended, Njoku explained that he applied to the Supreme Court for a review to correct the erroneous impression that it was Oye that was suspended.

“On May 9 this year, the apex court affirmed the Owerri national convention, thus putting an end to the lingering leadership crisis,” Njoku said.

In a recent statement issued by Njoku, he berated INEC for refusing  to recognise him as the substantive national chairman of the party.

He said, “It established beyond reasonable doubt that the Owerri Convention of May 31, 2019; where I was elected as the National Chairman of APGA is the authentic Convention. It also settled the issue of representation of the Party, by affirming that Hamman Buba Ghide, is the authentic National Legal Adviser of APGA.

“Observably, Victor Oye did not Appeal this Judgment, because the Federal High Court was unequivocal in its Ruling that the matter is not justiciable. We have abundant evidence of all the surreptitious and nocturnal moves by Victor Oye’s group, using a very senior lawyer who is notorious for compromising judicial officers to thwart the content of the judgment which has already been served on INEC.

“I am calling on Nigerians, especially the National Assembly; the Attorney General of the Federation and President Buhari to take note that if INEC continues on this trajectory 2023 elections may not hold. This is the first time that a Supreme Court Judgment is being tossed about with so much temerity and disdainful arrogance.”

Political analysts said it was rather baffling that INEC that is reputed for obeying court judgement has refused to obey the pronouncement of the Supreme court. This makes it difficult not to accuse the electoral body of complicity in the leadership crisis rocking APGA.

However,  messages sent to INEC National Commissioner on Voter Education and Publicity, Fesrus Okoye, to respond to the issue and explain why INEC has not obeyed the judgement of the Supreme court were ignored.

Undoubtedly, without the intervention of INEC in the ongoing leadership saga by way of giving effect to the judgement of the supreme court, peace and tranquility would find APGA as a strange abode and would also affect the party’s chances in the 2923 election.