Ganduje threatens to sue Enugu electoral commission

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has threatened court action against the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) for allegedly undermining the party and dealing with unknown persons as the party’s officials in Enugu State.

He stated that Ugochukwu Agballah remains the Chairman of the party in the state and should serve as the bridge between the party and ENSIEC.

He stated that the party would not hesitate to drag the Commission to court if it continues to deal with “faceless persons unknown to the party with regard to the forthcoming LG poll in the state.”

In a letter dated August 26, 2024, which he personally signed and addressed to the Chairman of ENSIEC, Prof. Christian C. Ngwu, Ganduje alleged that the Commission has continued to deal with a faceless group as the elected officers of APC in Enugu State without verification, diligent inquiry, or official communication with or from the party.

The letter read, “Our attention has been drawn to your Commission’s meddling with, and undue interference with the Management, Control, and Administration of the All Progressives Congress as a political party, especially in Enugu State, by the Commission’s recognition and acceptance of a group of faceless persons who are unknown to the party as the authorised officers of the All Progressives Congress in Enugu State in violation of the Constitution of APC and the extant laws in Nigeria…

“Your Commission has on its own accord chosen to engage with this group of faceless people who were neither elected officers of the party nor accredited representatives of the party for the purposes of the conduct of the October 5th, 2024 Local Government Elections in Enugu State.

“We state that the actions of your Commission violate the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 under which the All Progressives Congress was lawfully registered.

“Kindly be informed that Hon. Ugochukwu H. Agballah is the duly elected and recognized State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Enugu State and is the only officer authorised by our party to submit names for the Chairmanship and Councillorship election that would be conducted by your electoral commission.”

Ganduje informed ENSIEC that APC, as a political party, was not a party to any valid lawsuit before a Court of competent jurisdiction in Enugu State or under any restrictive order of any kind whatsoever.

“Take notice that if your Commission fails, neglects, and refuses to desist from further undue interference with the Control, Management, and Administration of the All Progressives Congress (especially in Enugu State), as it relates to, connected with, and arising from the forthcoming Local Government Election in Enugu State, the party will be left with no other option than to instruct our lawyers to seek redress before a Court of Law without further recourse to your Commission,” he warned.

It could be recalled that a faction of the party led by Alphonsus Nwafor recently suspended Agballah and other members of his executive over alleged anti-party activities, among others.

They also went to court to bar those suspended from carrying on with party functions and presented candidates for the September 21 local government election of the state.

Last week, however, a meeting of stakeholders of the party at its secretariat, attended by Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji; party National Vice Chairman, South, Emma Enukwu, and many others, had announced the suspension of Nwafor and 19 others from the party and reiterated Agballah as its state chairman.