From Fred Itua, Abuja
The leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), on Wednesday, told the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), of its preparedness to participate in the forth coming Local Government Council elections across the country.
The party urged the mentioned bodies to ignore the activities of persons who are unknown to the party but have been parading themselves as leaders.
It said the interlopers are relying on a clarical error in a Supreme Court ruling to claim legitimacy.
National chairman of the party, Sly Ezeokenwa, said this at a media briefing after a meeting attended by all members of the party’s National Working Committee, in Abuja, yesterday.
He expressed the party leadership’s displeasure over INEC’s delay in making public a copy of the judgment it relied upon to recognize one Edozie Njoku.
He said: “If you recall, we had a similar press conference just about a month ago following the erroneous recognition accorded to one Edozie Njoku by INEC purportedly as the National Chairman of APGA, a position which I still lawfully occupy.
“What was rather intriguing is the claim by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that its decision was pursuant to an alleged court order.
“Sadly, INEC is yet to furnish us or even the members of the public with the phantom court order that compelled them to take the obnoxious decision.”
According to him, the party leadership decided to brief the press for two reasons: “Firstly, is the recent Counter Affidavit filed by INEC at the Federal High Court in the suit instituted by APGA and I challenging the said decision of INEC to unlawfully accord recognition to the said Edozie Njokuand.
“Secondly, in view of a vital document on APGA Leadership, a Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court official notification to Edozie Njoku’s lawyer wherein the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, on behalf of the Supreme Court, clarified the apex court’s position on the correction of the clerical error in its judgment of 14/10/2021 which was only recently issued to us by the Supreme Court to the effect that it never at any time declared Chief Edozie Njoku as APGA National Chairman by its ruling of 24/3/2023 that will warrant his recognition by INEC.
“We call on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at this point to be courageous and resilient to stand by the truth which he knows on the leadership tussle in APGA and ultimately correct the unpopular recognition of Edozie Njoku whose alleged OwerriConvention had long been declared invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction.”
The party urged IPAC and the respective States Independent Electoral Commission across the 36 States and FCT, not to succumb to the antics and cheap blackmail of detractors of APGA to recognize strangers as APGA Acting States Executives or representatives.
“The officers of APGA elected across the various wards, Local Governments and States are still validly in office and cannot be replaced on the whims and caprices of one stranger falsely laying claim to APGA Leadership,” he added.