APGA leadership dispute: Supreme Court affirms Ezeokenwa as national chairman

The Supreme Court has finally laid to rest the leadership dispute in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as it affirmed Sly Ezeokenwa as the party’s authentic national chairman.

The apex court’s five-member panel of justices delivered two unanimous judgements on Wednesday, invalidating Edozie Njoku’s claim to the APGA national chairmanship position.

It held that its earlier verdict on the appeal marked SC/CV/687/2021, delivered on October 14, 2021, and corrected on March 24, 2023, which Chief Njoku purportedly relied on to lay claim to APGA Chairmanship, did not confer any enforceable rights on him.

The court, in a lead judgment read by Justice Stephen Adah, clarified that the reliefs granted in 2021 regarding the APGA leadership dispute were merely declaratory and lacked enforceable rights.

It noted that it particularly held that that issue of leadership, or who becomes the chairman of a political party, was an internal matter that is not justiciable.

Justice Adah declared that Njoku’s decision to approach a lower court to enforce a judgement that lacked any enforceable orders was misguided.

Additionally, he criticized the lower courts for mistakenly relying on a previous Supreme Court decision to declare Njoku the National Chairman of APGA.

Consequently, Justice Adah vacated the judgement the Court of Appeal in Abuja delivered on June 28, 2024, which upheld the verdict of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory that declared Njoku as the National Chairman of APGA.

The Apex Court further imposed a fine of N20 million each on two members of the Njoku-led faction of APGA who were listed as respondents in the case.

It held that a third appeal relating to the APGA leadership tussle would abide by its decision in the matter.

The three appeals were marked: SC/CV/824/2024: APGA & another vs. Chief Victor Ike Oye & others; SC/CV/825/2024: Chief Victor Ike Oye vs. Otunba Kamaru Lateef Ogidan & 2 others; and Chief Victor Ike Oye vs. Otunba Kamaru Lateef Ogidan & 2 others.

Reacting to the court’s judgement, Ezeokenwa praised the judiciary for resolving the APGA leadership dispute and affirming his position as the party’s authentic national chairman.

He said the court has, through its judgement, proved that it is indeed the hope of the common man.