The faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)-led by Edozie Njoku, has filed committal charges against the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and APGA chairman, Victor Oye for violating a valid order of court.
OsunDaily News reports that the committal charges were filed before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Bwari.
The committal proceeding (Form 49) was drawn from a motion on notice marked FCT/ HC/CV/4068/2023, filed against Victor Ike Oye and the INEC by Camaru Lateef Ogidan (the factional National Vice Chairman, South West geopolitical zone of APGA) and Alhaji Rabiu Mustapha (the factional National Welfare Officer of APGA), two APGA National Working Committee (NWC) members under the leadership of Edozie Njoku.
Specifically, the Form 49, dated June 2, 2023, which has been served on INEC and Oye, ordered them to appear in court to show cause why an order of committal to prison should not be made against them, having disobeyed a restraining order of the court made on May 10, 2023.
Justice Mohammed Madugu of the FCT High Court, Bwari, had on May 10, ordered that the parties in the suit should maintain status quo ante bellum pending the hearing of the notice of preliminary objection filed on May 9, 2023, by the 1st defendant/applicant.
“For the avoidance of doubt and for the purpose of clarity, parties herein, whether by themselves, agents, privies, assigns, authorized representatives or whosoever acting on their behalf are restrained from holding the planned congresses, national convention or any other meetings or gatherings in whatever name called of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) pending the hearing of notice of preliminary objection filed on May 9, 2023, by the 1st defendant/applicant”, Justice Madugu ordered.
Despite the valid order of the court, Chief Oye went ahead and conducted series of political meetings, which culminated into the congresses and national convention of APGA held on May 31.
The two claimants, Lateef Ogidan and Rabiu Mustapha are executives of APGA under the leadership of the Njoku faction.
A statement by Ben Okoro, National Administrative Secretary, APGA, stated that “Appropriately, the Supreme Court served the enrolment order of its judgment on INEC on April 5, 2023.
“However, despite being in reception of the Supreme Court enrolment order, the commission (which has continued to conduct itself poorly, especially since the APGA leadership crisis) refused to recognize Chief Edozie Njoku as the authentic national chairman of APGA as contained in the consequential orders of the court.
“Since April 5, 2023, INEC, under the leadership of Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, by an act of omission and commission, has shown the world that it has enormous powers; this includes powers to suppress a Supreme Court judgment and appoint a national chairman for any political party, as it so wishes.
“It is befuddling that a commission which was created by law and funded by taxpayers’ money would be leading a subversive crusade against the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Okoro stated.
