Tensions keep on rising within the Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) due to ongoing disputes regarding the refund of the N3 million nomination fees levied on local government chairmanship candidates during the contested elections held on September 21, 2024.
The APC, led by state chairman Dr. Macdonald Ebere, collected N3 million from each chairmanship candidate as a mandatory fee. This decision sparked significant controversy, leading to an agreement to refund the fees to maintain party unity, as announced by the state governor.
One of the chairmanship aspirants from Owerri Municipal, Evans Anozie, has taken legal action by filing a suit in a high court in Owerri, seeking N50 million in damages—covering special, general, and exemplary claims.
In his legal statement, represented by his attorneys led by Professor Francis Dike SAN, Anozie, a resident of Owerri Nchi Ise, asserted that he paid the N3 million nomination fee to be eligible for the election. However, the contest was disrupted by the second defendant, Macdonald Ebere, who insisted on backing his own nominee, the caretaker chairman, as the sole party candidate.
Anozie’s legal team contended that this arbitrary decision created significant discord between him and Ebere, who allegedly threatened repercussions against Anozie.
They maintained that an agreement was reached to refund Anozie and other aspirants to promote party cohesion, a promise made publicly by the state governor on several occasions.
Following this agreement, Anozie requested his refund and received a cheque for the N3 million from the Imo APC’s account with UBA PLC, signed by Ebere and two others.
However, Anozie’s attempts to cash the cheque on October 16 and 18, 2024, were unsuccessful, as it was returned unpaid. Each time, he was reportedly assured that there were sufficient funds in the account prior to presenting the cheque.
According to his lawyers, Anozie was taken aback by the cheque’s rejection, which they argue was due to Ebere’s actions in countermanding the payment without any indication on the cheque itself regarding the refusal.
The legal representatives assert that Anozie, as a businessman, has endured significant loss of time and effort in pursuing the N3 million owed, with Ebere providing no resolution and indicating that payment would be indefinitely postponed.
At the upcoming hearing, Anozie’s lawyers will argue that Ebere’s reckless behavior in obstructing the payment warrants exemplary damages. They contend that when someone acts with impunity, expecting minimal consequences, the court should impose punitive damages to deter such conduct in the future.
