As court adjourns hearing in party’s leadership crisis suit to April 27
There was a mild drama, yesterday, at the premises of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Bwari, Abuja, as factional National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Edozie Njoku, was arrested by the police.
The arrest, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), followed a complaint by the prosecution lawyer, CSP Ezekiel Rinamsomte, that Njoku, prior to the commencement of the criminal case filed against him, had verbally threatened him as counsel in the matter.
He told Justice Mohammed Madugu shortly after the case was about to be adjourned.
He said the complaint had already been lodged at the Bwari Divisional Police Station.
“My lord, this morning when I came to the court, he (Njoku) saw me, waved and said prosecutor, how are you? And we shook hands.
“I did not even recognise him because there is nothing personal between me and him.
“The next thing this man started telling me was that he was going to send calamity upon calamities upon my family, that members of my family will be dying and that he would deal with me.
“I asked him what have I done, he said he was a very dangerous man. He said he was the reason why Director, Litigation of Supreme Court, Mr. Dikko, was removed and dismissed,” Rinamsomte narrated.
Responding, the APGA factional chairman admitted exchanging pleasantries with Rinamsomte earlier in the day.
But he denied the allegations that he threatened the prosecutor.
“My lord, I only said anybody in this case, who lied against me to go to jail or send anyone to prison by telling lie, calamity will befall that person,” he said.
The judge, then, jokingly said Rinamsomte should have avoided Njoku who he knew was standing trial.
“You should have greeted him from afar,” he said.
NAN reports that Njoku was later released at the police station after Rinamsomte withdrew the case.
At the resumed hearing of the case of forgery filed against Njoku, the police failed to sustain amendments to the original charge.
Njoku and the National Youth Leader of the party, Chukwuemeka Nwoga, were on October 21, 2022 dragged to court alongside Justice Mary Peter-Odili’s secretary, Mrs. Ogunseye Adebisi, for allegedly forging a Supreme Court judgment delivered on October 14, 2021 in the protracted APGA leadership crisis.
The suit No CR/12/2022, which contained 14-count charge, was amended on February 6, 2023 to include additional 14 charges, as well as Adebisi’s name as one of the accused.
But announcing withdrawal of the amended charges yesterday, Rinamsomte, said he was only ready to proceed with the original 14-count charge.
In the absence of objection from the defence counsel, Panam Ntui, the prosecution proceeded with trial by calling the first witness, Godwin Odu, into the witness box.
Odu told the court that he was elected as APGA Deputy National Secretary during the May 31, 2019 national convention of the party in Awka, Anambra State, pointing out that Victor Oye was also elected as national chairman at the same convention.
He alleged that it was after their emergence as national officers that Njoku and Nwoga began parading themselves as national chair and youth leader respectively.
The first prosecution witness averred that the issue led to several litigations leading up to the Supreme Court, adding that it was when he discovered that Njoku was parading a forged judgment as national chairman that he decided to petition the police.
The presiding judge, Justice Madugu, thereafter adjourned further proceedings to April 27.
