On Wednesday, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that prohibits Edozie Njoku from presenting himself as the national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
A five-justice panel, headed by Justice Stephen Adah, upheld Sly Ezeokenwa’s position as the legitimate national chairman of APGA. In two unanimous decisions, the court found that Njoku was incorrectly asserting authority over the party’s leadership.
Justice Adah clarified that the prior ruling concerning the appeal labeled SC/CV/687/2021, delivered on October 14, 2021, and subsequently amended on March 24, 2023, did not grant Njoku any enforceable rights to claim leadership of APGA.
The lead judge explained that the 2021 ruling only provided declarative reliefs, which are not actionable.
He further noted that there were no executable orders in the earlier judgment. According to Justice Adah, the Supreme Court had previously determined that the leadership of a political party falls under internal matters and is not subject to judicial intervention.
He criticized Njoku for seeking to enforce a ruling that provided no actionable reliefs and cautioned lower court judges to tread carefully in similar cases. Justice Adah pointed out that the trial court and Court of Appeal judges, who had declared Njoku as APGA chairman, erred in hearing Njoku’s case.
The Supreme Court subsequently annulled the June 28, 2024 judgment from the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had affirmed the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory’s declaration of Njoku as chairman.
The Supreme Court’s ruling in these three appeals, which addressed the same leadership issue, resulted in a total cost award of N60 million, with N20 million assigned for each appeal against two members of Njoku’s faction.
The appeals were identified as SC/CV/824/2024, APGA & another vs. Chief Victor Ike Oye & others; SC/CV/825/2024, Chief Victor Oye vs. Otunba Kamaru Lateef Ogidan & two others; and Chief Victor Ike Oye vs. Otunba Kamaru Lateef Ogidan & two others.
Earlier, on November 21, Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court in Abuja also barred Njoku from claiming the position of national chairman.
In response to the verdicts, Ezeokenwa praised the judiciary for resolving the leadership conflict within APGA and reaffirming his position.
He expressed pride in the judiciary, stating, “Today, I am very proud of our judiciary as the last hope of the common man. The Supreme Court, through its well-reasoned judgment, has confirmed our rightful leadership in the party.”
Ezeokenwa lamented the resources spent and the instability caused by Njoku’s ambitions, emphasizing that the judgment has eliminated any doubt about APGA’s true leadership and reaffirmed his authority as chairman.
