The embattled leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Edozie Njoku, has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission that failure to accord him recognition as the authentic national chairman of the party is capable of jeopardising the 2023 general election.
Njoku stated this on Thursday at a press briefing in Abuja.
The PUNCH had reported that Edozie Njoku and Victor Oye had been at loggerheads over the leadership of the party, with both men laying claim to the national chairmanship of the party. Although Oye calls the shots at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja and is recognised by INEC, Njoku has since come up with several documents including the “corrected judgment of the Supreme Court and a letter of clarification” purportedly written by the lead judge in the panel, Justice Mary Odili, now retired.
On November 28, 2022, Njoku and Chukwuemeka Nwoga (National Youth Leader of Njoku-led APGA) were remanded in the Suleja Correctional Service following a bench warrant for their arrest issued by Justice Mohammed Madugu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Bwari, for their failure to appear in court a week earlier.
Speaking at the press conference, Njoku called on APGA leaders including the Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, to intervene in the crisis, warning, however, that his non-recognition by the relevant authorities could throw the entire 2023 exercise into crisis.
He said, “It is exactly one month today (Thursday) since the clarification letter was written by the presiding Judge, Justice Mary Odili, on the correction of the 9th of May, 2022 in a case that started in Jigawa state and ended up in the Supreme Court. I was removed at the lower court as the national chairman of the party.
“It is so unfortunate that one month after the lead Judge of the Supreme Court clarified the corrected judgment, INEC has refused to recognise me and all the executive members of APGA as the authentic executives. We are literally playing with fire. 2023 is a turning point in the history of Nigeria as a modern society. We cannot allow certain individuals to thwart the democracy of Nigeria come the general election in 2023. I want to bring to the attention of certain people who are in APGA that all those who are with Oye are members of APGA.
“All those we gave nomination forms should be calm because they are the authentic candidates of APGA. I am calling on the Governor of Anambra State, Charles Soludo, that certain people are putting pressure on him saying ‘Njoku is after your seat. I am not after your seat.’ If we want the elections to take place in 2023, and if we want APGA to do well, all forces must come together. We must come together and push this election forward in APGA so that we can win the Houses of Assembly, Federal House of Representatives elections, Senatorial, Governorship as well as the Presidency. Nigerians are watching.”
According to Njoku, some youth groups, backed by member of the Nigerian Bar Association, have taken it upon themselves to do peaceful rallies at the Supreme Court and INEC premises next week, even as he pleaded with them to make sure they go about the event peacefully.
Extending a hand of peace to the Oye-led executive, Njoku said, “The Supreme Court through its clarification has reinstated me as the national chairman of APGA. Even if that makes you uncomfortable, please bear with it. That is the way rule of law plays out.
“The judgment we have is authentic and so are the Certified True Copies, CTCs. Come 2023, the authentic candidates are the ones coming from Njoku-led APGA. Anything short of this is unlawful exclusion. Whoever is behind this should think about our country Nigeria and what might happen in 2023 when this evil plan that you guys have set up come out to manifest,” he warned.
That said, Njoku alerted of a cabal whose ways are often unlawful but which gets what it wants regardless, saying, “There is a serious cabal in this country that do things the way it wants it done. Sometimes, we blame the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, the chairman of INEC, the Inspector General of Police. Sometimes, there are solid groups that politicians use to thwart the direction of justice for their own selfish interest.”
He further warned of the dangers of making baseless allegations, particularly those bordering on financial inducements.
“I want to appeal to our people to stop calling the names of people in high places carelessly. If you do not see funds exchanging hands, don’t say some people have been compromised. All I know is that by their fruits, we have known them,” he added.
He further stressed that both the corrected Supreme Court judgment and the letter of clarification from Justice Odili were copied INEC headquarters, the police authorities as well as the CJN.
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