The long drawn battle for the soul of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, has been finally settled.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, ruled to recognize the Governor Charles Soludo-backed Sly Ezeokenwa-led National Working Committee, NWC, as the authentic Leader of the party.
This is even as it held that Edozie Njoku had no legal grounds to lay claims to the party’s National Chairmanship position based on the rulings of the Federal High Court Abuja, and the Court of Appeal.
Post 2021 Owerri Convention, Chief Edozie Njoku and Ezeokenwa have been locked in a protracted battle for the APGA National Chairmanship position.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, had, on March 24, 2023, declared Edozie Njoku as the rightful National Chairman of the party.
The judgment of the trial court which declared Njoku as the APGA National Chairman was also on June 28, 2024, affirmed by the Court of Appeal.
Dissatisfied, Ezeokenwa, backed by the National leader of the party, Governor Soludo decided to approach the Supreme Court
In a unanimous ruling, a five- member panel of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Stephen Adah affirmed Ezeokenwa as the authentic National Chairman of the party after nullifying the earlier efforts of the two lower courts.
The panel of Justices faulted Njoku’s claim to the position based on the march 24, 2023 Court judgment, which was endorsed by the Appeal court.
Justice Adah, in the lead verdict, held that the March 24, 2023, rulaffirmed by the Court of Appeal, and upon which Chief Edozie staked his claims for the National Chairmanship was only declaratory, but not enforceable.
He further held that the said judgment only granted declaratory reliefs to Edozie, but were not executory, and insisted that there were no orders to be enforced.
The panel was of the view that the issues of party leaderships, and/ or who becomes the Chairman of a political party is an internal affair of the political party concerned.
The Supreme Court justices held that internal matters of political parties are issues that are not within the purview of the court to determine.
Consequently, it ruled that it was legally wrong for Njoku to have gone ahead to seek an enforcement of a court ruling that were devoid of executory reliefs
Justice Adah, therefore, berated the lower courts ( trial and Appeal) for declaring Njoku as the Chairman of APGA.
To this end, the Supreme Court declared as null and void the June 28, 2024, Appeal Court verdict that affirmed the earlier ruling of a Federal High Court, Abuja, recognizing Njoku as the National Chairman APGA .
While upholding the appeal filed by Ezeokenwa, the Court also awarded the sum N60 million as costs against Njoku and other respondents in the three adjudicated matters.
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