The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) has filed a suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over alleged partisanship and unlawful involvement in the leadership crisis of the party.

The national chairman of APGA, Sylvester Ezeokenwa, who revealed this in Abuja on Friday, July 19, while briefing reporters, said the party has approached an Abuja High Court because INEC has failed to provide available evidence justifying that Chief Edozie Njoku was once a national officer of the party by the order of any Nigerian court.

In a suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/966/2024, filed Thursday 18 July 2024, before His Lordship Justice J.K Omotosho of Abuja High Court, APGA prayed that the court should mandate INEC, and ensure that the party leadership is not truncated by its partisanship.

Ezeokenwa further stated that the party has raised interesting posers for INEC and to enable right-thinking Nigerians to assess the situation under review:

“We are therefore at a loss regarding the recent false representation by INEC that Chief Edozie Njoku and his group are National Executives of APGA ‘by order of Court’ We challenge the Commission to produces any Court Order wherein the Court has made any positive pronouncement recognizing Chief Edozie Njoku and his group as National officers of APGA.

“We firmly assert that no such court order exists. The current representation by INEC concerning Chief Edozie Njoku and his group is false, illegal, baseless, and without any justification,” he added.

The APGA chairman further regretted that INEC, as an institution created by the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, is duty-bound to operate strictly within the confines of the law.

He said: “It portends grave danger for our democracy for INEC to arrogate to itself the unfettered power to determine who the National Officers of a political party are without recourse to due process. It is abundantly clear from the plethora of court judgements and rulings that the legitimate leadership of APGA is firm under Barr. Sylvester Ezeokenwa.

“As a law-abiding political party, we have written INEC through our team of lawyers on the correct position. We trust that INEC will act swiftly to rectify any misinformation and uphold the integrity of our party’s leadership as ruled by various courts of law. In light of these clear Judicial determinations, we urge INEC to correct this misinformation promptly. This sanctity of accurate information is critical to maintaining the trust and confidence of the public in our electoral process.”

Ezeokenwa said INEC duly monitored the legitimate APGA National convention held on May 31, 2023, at the International Conference Centre (ICC) Awka, Anambra State, by the binding statutory provision, and subsequently issued a report.

He said: “We expect INEC to act responsibly and rectify the publication to reflect the legitimate leadership of APGA, under Barr. Sylvester Ezeokenwa.”

Meanwhile, the chairman said the party remains united under its legitimate leadership and will continue to pursue the best interests of party members and the Nation at large.

He urged the commission to respect and always be bound by the outcome of the monitored National convention held by APGA as well as the final judgement of the court. (The Nation)

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