REVEALED: Why Njoku cannot be APGA national chair -Okechuwku, factional Publicity Sec

Factional National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Barrister Tex Okechukwu has explained that the recent judgement of supreme court did not delete the name of Chief Victor Oye as the national chairman of the party.

Okechukwu however explained that the import of the supreme court judgement was the deletion of the name of Oye only on page 13 of the judgment delivered on October 14, 2021 where the Supreme Court was giving background fact of what transpired at the High Court of Jigawa State which he said had given rise to the appeal before it.

In a statement made available to Vanguard in Abuja on Thursday, Okechukwu said that the certified true copy of the recent judgement of the apex has exposed the Njoku’s mischief to assume the chairmanship of the party.

The statement read thus: “You will recall that on 24/3/2023, Edozie Njoku was on rampage, fabricating lies and falsehoods that the Supreme Court had deleted the name of Dr. Victor Ike Oye, as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.  False claim Dr Victor Oye and APGA had since dismissed as been a total falsehood.

“For those who watched Edozie Njoku on some live TV stations, you  saw the way he was making emphasis on the word “delete” in the ruling of the Supreme Court as if indeed the Supreme Court actually deleted the name of Dr Victor Oye as the National Chairman of APGA.

“It was revealed that Edozie Njoku deliberately put up a straight face to the false claim that the name of Dr Victor Oye was deleted as the National Chairman of APGA with the sole aim of further misleading the general public and some persons he swindled in millions  and  sold fake nomination forms to in the just concluded general elections.

“The certified true copy of the ruling of the Supreme Court of 24/3/2023 now available to the parties and the public  clearly shows the context in which the court deleted the name of Dr Victor Ike Oye.

“It was as a result of an accidental slip in the course of reproducing the background facts of what happened at the trial High Court in Jigawa and at which point Victor Oye was never a party to the suit and his name ought not to be mentioned but that of Edozie Njoku.

“The Supreme Court stated unequivocally that it would be implausible to think that the correction made in any way reviewed, varied, or affected its substantive judgment of 14/10/2021. 

“That the correction is made to give the sentence in pages 12- 13 of the lead judgment of 14/10/2021 delivered by Hon.Justice Mary Ukaego Peter – Odili   (RTD) its complete meaning and intention.

“The name of Dr Victor Ike Oye was never deleted as the National Chairman of APGA by the Supreme Court. The name of Victor Oye was only deleted on page 13 of the Supreme Court judgment delivered on 14/10/2021 where the Supreme Court was giving background fact of what transpired at the High Court of Jigawa State which had given rise to the appeal before it.

“In the context of the background fact it was the name of Edozie Njoku that ought to be mentioned as Dr Victor Oye never claimed to be the suspended National Chairman and never claimed to have been elected from the purported Owerri Convention.

“In dismissing the Appeal brought to the Supreme Court against the victory of Victor Oye at the Court of Appeal, Kano; the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Kano Division which recognized Dr Victor Ike Oye as the validly elected National Chairman of APGA at the National Convention held on 31/5/2019 in Awka.

“The Court of Appeal judgment, which was affirmed by the Supreme Court, is that before the suit that went to Jigawa was filed, Dr Victor Ike Oye was the recognized National Chairman of APGA.

“The position is clear that the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court having nullified and set aside the judgment of Jigawa State High Court on the so-called claim of who was the  Chairman suspended or who ought to be the so called Acting Chairman, the question would now be who was the recognized National Chairman before the suit at Jigawa? The answer to this question will settle the needless controversy created by Edozie Njoku and his cohorts.

“The answer to the question above was given by the Court of Appeal, Kano that Dr Victor Ike Oye is the recognized National Chairman of APGA elected at the Convention held at Awka on 31/5 /2019 which convention and election was validated by the judgment of Anambra State High Court. This  decision has been affirmed by the Supreme Court.

“The Supreme Court also corrected the Appeal number in its judgment delivered on 14/10/2021 from SC/686/2021 to SC/687/2021 and maintained that Edozie Njoku was never a party to the Appeal before it. But only allowed him as an interested party to bring the application for correction and which correction does not change the substance of its judgment of 14/10/2021.

“The Federal High Court Abuja on 28/3/2023 declared that it was bound by the decisions of the Court of Appeal and  that of the Supreme Court which recognized Dr Victor Ike Oye as the National Chairman of APGA.

“On the basis of which the Court presided over  by Hon. Justice James Kolawole Omotosho  dismissed the suit filed by 3 cohorts of  Edozie Njoku, namely Chekwas Okorie, Jonathan Oyiborhino Osigho and one Barr. Sopuluchukwu Ezeonwuka who conspired and attempted to mislead the court with the judgment of the Supreme Court delivered on 14/10/2021 claiming to be the Presidential, Senatorial, and House of Representatives candidates of APGA purportedly nominated by Edozie Njoku against whom the court has awarded cost of N200,000.

“Hon Justice James Kolawole Omotosho stated in categorical terms that by the Court of Appeal judgments, Kano Division and that of the Abuja Division which affirmed the Judgment of Anambra State High Court, together with the judgment of the Supreme Court, it is apparent, very clear and not open to any ambiguity that Edozie Njoku is not the legally recognized National Chairman of APGA and therefore does not have the legal right to seek to present names of candidates of APGA to INEC.

“From the legal perspective of the Supreme Court being the final court, it is no doubt clearly the end of the road for Edozie Njoku in his fruitless struggle to illegally and dubiously ascend the exalted position of the National Chairmanship of APGA.

“The road will surely and soon fully come to an end to close up on Edozie Njoku at the completion of his criminal trial for forgery and criminal impersonation where he will  be jailed to serve as a deterrent to others who may want to follow this dubious path in the future.

“Perhaps confining Edozie Njoku to the Nigeria correctional centre in the long run will afford him an opportunity for a possible repentance”.