From Godwin Tsa Abuja
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has stated that the affirmation and recognition of Chief Edozie Njoku as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was in obedience to court orders.
Professor Yakubu, speaking through his counsel, Ahmed Mohammed, told Justice Mohammed Madugu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bwari Division, that the decision was also to purge himself of the committal order placed on him by the court.
This revelation came during a committal proceeding against the purported erstwhile chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Oye, who narrowly escaped being committed to prison for contempt of court.
Justice Madugu had, on 9 November 2023, found both Oye and Yakubu in contempt of a court order issued on 10 May 2023. This order stemmed from a suit filed by two APGA national officers, Otumba Camaru Ogidan and Alhaji Rabiu Mustapha, seeking to enforce a Supreme Court judgement regarding APGA’s leadership tussle.
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INEC’s lawyer, Ahmed Mohammed, informed the court that the Commission had reviewed the Court of Appeal judgement delivered on 28 June 2024, which affirmed Njoku as APGA’s National Chairman.
“The Commission came out with a decision extract in compliance with the two judgements of the Court of Appeal, and which we undertake in court to serve all the parties that the commission has fully complied with the judgements; And has restored the name of the 2nd plaintiff/applicant in its website as National Chairman of APGA,” Mohammed stated. He also promised to file the meeting extract where the decision to recognise Njoku was made.
Initially, the court was set to sentence Victor Oye for contempt, as he had not taken steps to purge himself. However, Oye’s lawyer, Victor Agunzi, filed a motion for a stay of the Appeal Court judgement, citing an ongoing appeal at the Supreme Court.
“What we filed at the Court of Appeal is a motion for stay of judgement of June 28, and what we filed here in this court is that in view of the appeal at the Supreme Court, and motion for stay, my lord should stay further proceedings,” Agunzi argued.
Justice Madugu adjourned the case to 28 October for the hearing of Oye’s motion.
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