By CHARLES IWUOHA

Founding Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Chekwas Okorie, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of taken sides in the party’s crisis by recognising Mr Edozie Njoku, as the authentic national chairman of the party.

Okorie’s call came on the heels of the judgment of a panel of the Supreme Court of Nigeria which sacked Ozonkpu Victor Oye and affirmed Edozie Njoku as substantive APGA National Chairman.

Recall that a panel of Supreme Court Justices, Chaired by Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, who was appointed to replace ex-Chairman of the panel, Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili following her retirement, had ruled as lawful and legitimate, the convention of the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA) held at Owerri, Imo State, which elected Mr Edozie Njoku as the National Chairman and other members of the National Working Committee of the party.

However, Okorie, who was the founder and pioneer National Chairman of the party, in a statement, frowned at the alleged deviation from the truth by INEC and other authorities in recognizing Njoku as the party’s national chairman despite receiving a certified true copy of the judgment of the apex court in the land.

He also questioned why the electoral umpire has continued to deal with the factional leadership of APGA, which he alleged, clearly lacked legal backing or legitimacy to enter into any form of transaction with the INEC on behalf of the party.

He said the implications of the Commission’s activities are capable of causing APGA to be excluded from participating in the forthcoming 2023 general elections together with its candidates who have emerged through congresses and primaries in which appropriate notifications were given to INEC and duly acknowledged by the commission.

Okorie warned that “the exclusion of APGA from participating in the 2023 general elections shall result in the cancellation and nullification of the entire general election, according to the clear provisions of the electoral act and the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.

“The entire amount of about N350 billion appropriated by the National Assembly for the conduct of the 2023 general election will go down the drain”.

He continued: “It stands to reason that the 29th May 2023 date for the inauguration of a new government in Nigeria may not be realized since the nation has to source fresh funds and produce a new timetable to conduct a fresh general election”.

The party stalwart noted that all these ominous possibilities are avoidable, if the Independent National Electoral Commission can do the needful without further delay.

Okorie, however, called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney General of the federation, Abubakar Mallami, the leadership of the National Assembly, Civil Society and pro-democracy organisations as well as good-spirited Nigerians to intervene in the matter before irreparable damage is done to the nation’s democratic process.