The Supreme Court has upheld an appeal by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), officially recognizing Sly Ezeokenwa as its National Chairman.
In its ruling on Wednesday, the court imposed a ₦20 million fine on Edozie Njoku for initiating a frivolous lawsuit at the FCT High Court in Bwari.
This decision follows a recent Federal High Court ruling in Abuja that barred Njoku from presenting himself as the party’s national chairman.
Justice James Omotosho stated in his judgment that no valid court ruling, including any from the Supreme Court, recognized Njoku as APGA’s national chairman.
The case, identified as FHC/ABJ/CS/966/2024, was filed by APGA and its National Chairman, Sylvester (Sly) Ezeokenwa, against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Njoku.
The plaintiffs filed the suit on July 12 after INEC removed Ezeokenwa and his executive team’s names from its website on July 9, replacing them with Njoku’s leadership.
In his ruling, Justice Omotosho concluded that INEC had acted improperly by recognizing Njoku’s faction as the legitimate leadership of APGA.
“There is no subsisting court order upon which it acted. The decision of the Supreme Court was clear as to who the national chairman should be and it is certainly not Chief Edozie Njoku.
“Chief Victor Oye was in fact recognised by law. Furthermore, at the expiration of his (Oye’s) tenure in 2023, a national convention was held on 31st May 2023 in Awka, Anambra State which produced the 2nd Plaintiff (Ezeokenwa) and other persons as national executives.
“The 1st defendant (INEC) monitored same and issued report (Exhibit APGA 1).
“There is nothing before this court faulting the election of 2nd plaintiff and his executive team as the rightful occupants of the national executive of the party.
“The Ist defendant must, therefore, restore their names as the National Executive Officers of All Progressives Grand Alliance party,” he said.
The judge held that the Supreme Court had settled the matter in the case between Njoku and Oye on who the valid national chairman of the party was in suit number: SC/CV/687/2021 dated March 24, 2023.
He held that the Supreme Court did not alter the substance of the judgment delivered on 14 October 2021, “affirming the judgment of the Court of Appeal which set aside the judgment of the High Court of Jigawa and held that who should be the acting national chairman of the party is within the confines of the internal affairs of the party which is not justiciable.”
Justice Omotosho emphasized that there was no Supreme Court order recognizing Chief Edozie Njoku as the party’s chairman. He expressed surprise that the first defendant claimed its actions were based on a supposed court order, which did not exist.