APGA crisis: Okorie cries out against judicial rascality, decries NBA’s silence

Founding chairman and rival presidential candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Chekwas Okorie, has bemoaned the silence of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) over what he described as judicial rascality on the recent Supreme Court ruling on the party.

He said: “It a mockery that a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Mary Peter-Odili, came out of retirement to respond to a letter seeking for affirmation of a judgment given by a panel she chaired.

“The tragedy is that no lawyer has protested the clear undermining of the Supreme Court or the persecution of an innocent man.”

In a statement, yesterday, in Abuja, Okorie expressed dismay at the attempt by some judicial officers working in cahoots with compromised police officers and agents of Anambra State government to try Chief Edozie Njoku for decisions of the apex court justices.

While calling on men and women of conscience to rise up and confront the judicial abomination, Okorie noted: “The dangerous and criminal rascality of some powerful individuals, led by Victor Oye and his sponsor, Prof. Charles Soludo, could pose enormous danger to Nigeria’s democracy.

“The fact that no one is above the law is a generally accepted truism in a democracy like ours. Disparaging and denigrating the Supreme Court amounts to judicial abomination.

“If everyone keeps quiet and allows it to happen with no reactions from the judiciary, the Attorney General of the Federation, men and women of goodwill, as well as civil society organisations, then it amounts to watering the grounds for chaos. It may eventually consume all of us.

“I am talking about APGA leadership crisis, which is now in the 18th year of the 21-year-old party. My travails are well known and documented. Today is not the day to recount my ordeal.

“However, I draw your attention to this episode that portends danger to the 2023 general elections.”

Tracing the origin of the matter, Okorie recalled that after APGA held its national convention on May 31, 2019, in Owerri, where the party elected its National Working Committee (NWC) with Edozie Njoku elected as the national chairman, Victor Oye held a parallel convention, in Awka, on the same day.

He disclosed that some weeks later, Jude Okeke rushed to Jigawa State and sued Njoku, claiming the NWC had suspended him, and asked the court to recognise him (Okeke) as the acting chairman.

Okorie noted: “The court granted Okeke’s wishes. INEC immediately recognised him as chairman of APGA. The matter was appealed in Kano State division of the Appeal Court. Njoku sought to join the matter, but was refused joinder.”