APGA crisis: Court dismisses Umeh’s suit challenging sack
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has struck out a motion brought by the former national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, seeking to stay the judgement that sacked him from office.
The trial judge, Justice Abdul Kafarati, had on January 15, 2014 sacked Umeh from office and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Chief Maxi Okwu as the chairman of the party.
The court further ordered national secretary of the party, Alhaji Sani Shinkafi, and other members of the National Working Committee, (NWC) elected alongside Umeh at a convention held on February 18, 2011, in Awka Anambra State, to vacate their respective offices.
Justice Kafarati directed the electoral umpire to henceforth relate with Okwu, Mr. Ibrahim Carefor, Chief Dickson Ogu, Dr. Gbenga Afeni and Alhaji Abubakar Adamu as the duly elected national officers of APGA. They all emerged from a separate convention of the party that also held in Awka on April 8, 2013.
Shortly after the judgement was delivered, Umeh, through his counsel approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the decision of the court and at the same time filed a motion for stay of the execution of judgement at the Federal High Court.
After counsel in the matter argued the stay, Justice Kafarati in his ruling refused the prayer seeking to stay the earlier judgement of the court which had sacked him from office.
He said the court could not seat as an appellate court on its judgement.
Okwu had also instituted a suit on August 19, 2013, against Umeh, Shinkafi and INEC, seeking an order directing Umeh and Shinkafi to vacate office as national chairman and secretary of the party respectively, having being first elected into office on January 10, 2003 and re-elected for a second tenure which expired on January 9, 2010.