Court reinstates Soludo as APGA candidate for Anambra governorship poll

An Anambra State High Court presided over by Justice C.C. Okaa on Monday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to list the name of Professor Chukwuma Soludo as the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the November 6, 2021, governorship election.

It directed INEC to publish the former CBN Governor’s name which was removed from the electoral umpire’s list last Friday and replaced with that of Hon Chukwuma Michael Umeoji.

Justice Okaa in passing judgment ordered INEC to remove the name of Hon Umeoji from its list and ordered him to stop parading himself as the candidate of APGA for the November election.

The court also reaffirmed that Chief Victor Oye is the indisputable national chairman of APGA and directed that Chief Edozie Njoku and Mr. Jude Okeke should stop parading themselves as chairmen.

The Jude Okeke-led APGA faction however dismissed the judgement.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, on Monday, the National Publicity Secretary of the faction, Ikechukwu Chukwunyere, averred that the ruling earlier given by High Court in Jigawa State remained in force.

He argued that apart from a higher one, a court cannot vacate the decision by another court with the same jurisdiction.

INEC had last Friday published names of candidates in the election with Chukwuma Umeoji listed for APGA.

The party spokesman stated: “We have invited you here today to brief you on the happenings in our Party and the desperation of some anti-democratic forces to desecrate the judiciary and jettison the rule of law principle which is fundamental in a democracy.

“On Friday, July 16, 2021, the Independent National Electoral Commission published the list of candidates for the Anambra State Governorship election in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act and INEC Guidelines for the election.

“In compliance with the judgment of two competent High Courts, INEC published the name of Hon. Chukwuma Umeoji, a member of the Federal House of Representatives, as the valid and duly nominated candidate of our great party. All institutions of state must obey the judgment of Courts. That is the position of the law.

“A case that was filed by the Oye Camp without notifying the Jude Okeke group, we heard of it on Friday, quickly mobilised our lawyers to apply to join the case but the judge refused because allowing the joinder would mean taking an adjournment for consequential amendment of the processes to reflect the new names joined.

“The judge dismissed the Motion even when no lawyer in the case filed anything in opposition.

“Having failed to deliver the judgment on Friday, the judge this morning in a Court surrounded by over a hundred and fifty policemen and soldiers and wherein every person who was not a lawyer was chased out of the court, delivered a judgment and predictably granted all the prayers of the applicants and even more.

“We must state that the said Victor Oye is not the Chairman of APGA but the Chairman of Forum Shopping in our Courts. He has authorised the filing of several cases in different courts seeking to just see what he would get to validate his illegality.”

Chukwunyere alleged that the party chieftain authorised cases to be filed by all his executive members with a promise of monetary reward for anyone that could get a favourable judgment.

“The judgment from Awka cannot vacate the judgment from Jigawa. They are courts of coordinate jurisdiction. They cannot change the position of INEC with it. Hopefully, this matter will be sorted out soon and peace will return to APGA,” he stated.