Leadership Tussle: APGA Seeks Arrest of Njoku over Alleged Forgery

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has petitioned the relevant law enforcement agencies over alleged forgery of Supreme Court document by one Mr. Edozie Njoku, who is also laying false claim on the leadership of the political party.

The issue in contention was the judgment of the Supreme Court in favour of Mr. Victor Oye as the substantive National Chairman of APGA.

The apex court has also issued an official statement to further clarify its position regarding the leadership tussle in APGA.

However, a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Mr. Tex Okechukwu, on Wednesday accused Njoku of circulating a letter, which was purportedly written by Hon. Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court and claiming same to be the official position of the Supreme Court.

Okechukwu said: “The attention of our great party, APGA, has been drawn to a trending propaganda on social media wherein the Supreme Court was quoted to have purportedly reaffirmed Mr. Edozie Njoku as the illusory national chairman of our great party, APGA.

“Ironically, in defence of the phantom position, the crafters of the vile propaganda brandished a letter which was purportedly written by Hon. Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, and claimed same to be the official position of the Supreme Court.

“The Supreme Court has not changed its position on the leadership of APGA as evident in the judgment of the court delivered on October 14, 2021, wherein the apex court reaffirmed Victor Ike Oye as the national chairman of APGA. “We have already contacted the relevant law enforcement agencies on the latest forgery by Njoku and they have reassured us that justice will run its full course.

“We urge the general public to ignore the fraudulent publication as nothing short of the mischievous antics of a drowning man.”

The APGA spokesman said that the party would have ordinarily ignored the latest antic of Njoku’s comic display which was much like a television soap opera; but that he deemed it expedient to correct the trending narrative on social media platforms as well as state the factual position to party faithful, candidates and indeed the general public.

“We wish to state emphatically, nay categorically, that the said letter is utterly false, baseless, ludicrous and a poorly scripted attempt by Njoku and his band of criminal hirelings to mislead the public and indeed numerous persons whom they defrauded in the guise of issuing nominations to run for election on the platform of our great party.

“Indeed, a careful perusal of the said document being bandied by Njoku and his cohorts will readily reveal the apparent forgery. No justice of the Supreme Court, serving or retired, will address a private letter to an impostor on any issue relating to the subject of a judgment of the Supreme Court let alone a matter in which the court has issued an official statement in respect of.

“There are recognised channels of communication between a retired justice of the Supreme Court and the court itself and same certainly does not include writing an individual on such subject.

“Worse still, the letter brandished by Njoku does not convey the message sought to be put out by his group as couriered in the false and misleading heading above.

“There is nothing in the said ludicrous publication to remotely suggest that the Supreme Court has changed its position on the leadership of APGA as aptly captured in the official position of the apex court as contained in the statement issued by the Supreme Court’s Director of Press and Information, Mr. Festus Akande, on September 1, 2022. Our preliminary investigation and inquiry revealed that the said letter was not written by Hon Justice Mary Odili (Rtd) and is thus purely a forged document,” he alleged.

Okechukwu said that the latest antic of Njoku may be his way of shopping for evidence to defend the criminal charges already proffered against him by the Nigerian Police Force in charge No. CR/12/2022: Inspector General of Police vs. Chief Edozie Njoku & Anor pending before the High Court of FCT, Abuja.

“It’s indeed worrisome that Njoku can be so bold and audacious as to continue in his brazen forgery of sacred documents and letter-heads of Supreme Court Justices,” he alleged.