APGA asks NJC to sanction Justice Omotosho

Pained by the judgment of Justice J.K Omotosho of the federal high court, Abuja, Chief Edozie Njoku led All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has petitioned the National Judicial Commission (NJC), asking it to invoke her relevant sanctions against the Judge for allegedly pre-empting and challenging the authority of the Supreme Court.

Justice Omotosho had last week indicted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for meddling in the internal affairs of the APGA and ordered the Commission to withdraw its recognition of Chief Edozie Njoku as the National Chairman of the party and replace him with Mr Sly Ezeonwuka.

He was delivering judgment in a suit filed by the Ezeonwuka-led faction of the party.

Addressing reporters in Enugu on Tuesday, Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman of the Njoku group, Chief Chekwas Okorie, faulted the stance of the Judge, stressing that indicting the “Commission for meddling into the affairs of the party when all that the Commission did was to comply with the affirmation of the judgment of the Supreme Court as enforced by the trial court”

Stating the fact of the leadership dispute in the party, Okorie, who was flanked at the briefing by several foundation members of the party, stated that a five-man panel of the justices of the Supreme Court had on 24th March 2023, upheld Njoku as the National Chairman of the party.

“The apex court unequivocally affirmed that the purported removal of Chief Edozie Njoku by the high court of Birnin Kudu in Jigawa state was not justiceable, referring to a plethora of Supreme Court authorities,” he said.

“Surprisingly, INEC, which was a party to the suit, refused to obey the clear and unambiguous judgment of the Supreme Court.

“After several official communications to INEC, which included a direct service of the enrolled order of the judgment by the Chief Bailiff of the Supreme Court, the Commission remained adamant.”

He added that based on the recalcitrant stand of the Commission’s chairman, two members of the court had approached the federal high court in Abuja, seeking the enforcement of the Supreme Court judgment, stressing that the party went forward to file forms 48 and 49 to commit APGA former Chairman, Victor Oye, and Prof Yakubu Mahmood to the Correctional Center for contempt of court.

Okorie stated that on 6th June 2023, the Federal High Court delivered judgment in favour of Chief Edozie Njoku and members of his national working committee as the authentic leadership of APGA in the enforcement of the Supreme Court judgment.

He added that the same court presided over by Justice Magudu “convicted Prof Yakubu Mahmood and Chief Victor Oye for contempt of court but delayed sentencing out of leniency to allow the contemnors the latitude to purge themselves of contempt.”

Okorie said that Oye had defied the court and proceeded to the Court of Appeal to challenge both the judgment on the substantive matter of enforcement of the Supreme Court judgment and judgment on contempt of court. He said that on 26th June, this year, a 3-man Justices of the Court of Appeal resolved all the 10 grounds of appeal in favour of APGA under Chief Njoku as national chairman.

“It was after this resounding unanimous judgment of the court of Appeal that INEC finally complied with the Supreme Court judgment, which enforcement was affirmed by the Court of Appeal,” Okorie stated.

He added that many who thought the judgment would bring back peace to the party were wrong, as Oye and Ezeonwuka have taken another matter to the Supreme Court to challenge the judgment of the Court of Appeal, explaining that the apex court had heard the suits and motion presented and reserved judgment on a date to be communicated to the parties.

Okorie stated that it was wrong for Justice Omotosho, after being fed with all the processes and records to deliver the judgment he gave on 20th November, 2024.