The national leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has debunked the report of the Supreme Court ruling, affirming Edozie Njoku as the party’s National Chairman.
The National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Barrister Tex Okechukwu, in a statement released on Friday described the report of the apex court ruling as baseless, unfounded and malicious falsehood and hoax meant to create disaffection and controversy within the party.
Okechukwu stated that Dr Victor Ike Oye remained the National Chairman of the party, saying that the application which the Supreme Court heard on February 20, 2023, and brought by Njoku was merely to correct a typographical error contained in the lead judgment delivered by Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili (retd) on October 14, 2021.
The statement read in full, "It is absolutely expedient that we, as a responsible and responsive political party, set the records straight on the effect and purport of the ruling delivered by the apex court.
"It must be stated at this juncture that the claim that the Supreme Court delivered any judgment today 24/3/2023 affecting the leadership of APGA is nothing short of a baseless and unfounded falsehood which must be roundly condemned and retracted by various media platforms that have shared the unfortunate news.
"It is evident that what transpired at the Supreme Court is clearly verifiable and will imminently be borne out by the certified true copy of the ruling of the Supreme Court delivered by His Lordship, Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba.
"The application which the Supreme Court heard on the 20th of February, 2023 and brought by Edozie Njoku was merely to correct a typographical error contained in the Lead judgment delivered by His Lordship, Hon Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili (rtd) on the 14th of October, 2021.
"It will be recalled that following a fraudulently contrived judgment which purportedly affirmed the factional National Convention of APGA allegedly held in Owerri, Imo State, Dr Victor Ike Oye approached the Court of Appeal, Kano Division, as an interested party, to have the said perverse judgment set aside.
"Consequent upon the grant of his application for Joinder, the Court of Appeal, Kano Division in a unanimous judgment delivered on 10th of August, 2021 allowed the appeal of Dr Victor Oye and set aside the judgment of Jigawa High Court.
"Tellingly, the decision of the Court of Appeal, Kano Division aforesaid was predicated on an earlier judgment of a High Court of Anambra State which had earlier upheld the National Convention of APGA held in Awka, Anambra State on the 31st of May, 2019.
"The Court of Appeal held that the Jigawa High Court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter ab initio and thus set aside the judgment of the Jigawa High Court.
"It is interesting to note that the Supreme Court while upholding the finding of the Court of Appeal, Kano Division that the Jigawa High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the original suit filed by one Alhaji Garba Aliyu, went on to affirm all the findings made by the Court of Appeal, Kano Division.
"It's therefore most bemusing and smacks of deliberate mischief for anyone to remotely contemplate that the Supreme Court delivered another judgment on the 24th of March, 2023.
"Indeed, the allusion to Edozie Njoku in the body of the corrected judgment stems from the facts of the case as filed by Alhaji Garba Aliyu in the High Court of Jigawa wherein it was alleged that Chief Edozie Njoku was suspended by the NEC of APGA.
"Effectively, the correction made by the Supreme Court in its said ruling was to the effect that the issue whether Edozie Njoku was purportedly suspended or not (a fact alleged in the Originating Summons filed at Jigawa High Court) is within the internal affairs of a political party and therefore non justiciable.”
The party noted that it was on the above basis that the apex court decided that the Jigawa High Court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit and deliver the judgment it delivered.
The statement further pointed out that Justice Garba unequivocally stated that Njoku was not a party to the appeal brought by Mr. Jude Okeke at the Supreme Court.
"One therefore wonders how the schmuck of a man can lay claim as a beneficiary of a judgment in an appeal in which he was not a party on record. This would aptly qualify as the 10th wonder of the world.
"Intriguingly, the ruling of the Supreme Court delivered on 24th March, 2023 has effectively nailed Chief Edozie Njoku as a serial fraudster who ought to be cooling off behind bars.
"Was it not the same man that unashamedly brandished a fake judgment allegedly corrected by Justice Mary Odili on the 9th of May, 2022 which contained his name as the 2nd Respondent on record?
"What then happened to the fraudulently contrived judgment which he has been parading since May, 2022? What happened to his claim of being the 2nd Respondent in the said appeal? Indeed, all the lies and vile propaganda peddled by Edozie Njoku and his cohorts were deflated by the Supreme Court ruling.
"We therefore wish to reassure our party faithful and indeed the general public to disregard the usual machinations of Edozie Njoku as the Supreme Court never affirmed him as the National Chairman of APGA.
"As unequivocally stated by Justice Garba in his ruling, the judgment of the Supreme Court on the appeal remained that delivered on October 14, 2021. This is further strengthened by the enrolled order of the Supreme Court which clearly contains the orders made by the Supreme Court in the said appeal."