Supreme Court clears air on judgment in APGA leadership crisis. On Thursday in Abuja, the Supreme Court clarified any misunderstandings over its decision regarding the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, leadership issue.
According to the Apex Court, the ruling entered on October 14, 2021, involved a Chief Jude Okeke and APGA, together with three additional respondents.
According to a statement made by the Director of Press and Information for the Court, Dr. Akande Festus, Chief Edozie Njoku, who requested to be included in the appeal, was not included and was not a party to the decision that ended the leadership issue.
It was stated that any judgment order with parties other than those listed on record did not come from the Supreme Court and should be ignored.
“Our attention has been drawn to the misconception being peddled by some members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) regarding the judgment of the Supreme Court in Appeal Number: SC/CV/687/2021: Chief Jude Okeke Versus ALL PROGRESSIVES GRAND ALLIANCE (APGA) & 3 ORS, delivered on October 14, 2021, which is causing confusion within the party fold and, by extension, the public space,” the statement said in part.
To set the record straight, we want to say that Chief Jude Okeke (Appellant) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Ike Oye, Alhaji Rabiu Garba Aliu, and Independent National Electoral Commission were the parties to the appeal regarding party leadership of the APGA that was filed in the Supreme Court against the decision of the Court of Appeal, Kano Division.
It’s important to note that the appeal stemmed from a Primary Election held by the party on May 31 in Owerri, Imo State, in which the 3rd Respondent (Rabiu Garba Aliu) was chosen as the Deputy National Chairman (North).
“The said 3rd respondent (Alhaji Rabiu Garba Aliyu), by Originating Summons, commenced an action claiming, among other reliefs, to be automatically recognized as the Chairman of the Party on the ground that the Chairman who was then suspended had been replaced by someone other than him,” according to the Originating Summons.
Chief Jude Okeke was confirmed as the Party’s Chairman by the trial court, which also rejected the lawsuit.
“However, the third respondent appealed to the Court of Appeal, Kano Judicial Division, dissatisfied with the verdict.
“At that time, the Court of Appeal gave the first and second respondents (APGA and Victor Ike Oye) permission to join as interested parties.
“However, the Court of Case dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction because Jigawa State was not the location of any of the disputed issues.
Chief Jude Okeke appealed to the Supreme Court in opposition to the aforementioned parties because he was dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal’s decision.
“Chairman Edozie Njoku submitted an application to be added as an interested party at this point.
“However, on the day of the hearing, the entire appeal was dismissed, and all joinder motions were rejected because of events that had already taken place.
“That decision was predicated on the idea that such action had been repeatedly determined to be unjustifiable in light of the several ongoing Supreme Court judgements regarding intra-party disputes.
In light of the aforementioned, we desire to make it abundantly obvious that Chief Edozie Njoku was never included as a party and that the judgment of this Honourable Court solely included the parties stated above.
Therefore, any judgment order with parties other than those listed above did not come from the Supreme Court and should be ignored, the statement stated.
