Oye ignores court order, convenes APGA NEC meeting in Awka
• Okorie, Njoku’s loyalists kick as Soludo meets Oye- led aspirants
FORMERNational Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance ( APGA), Victor Oye, has held a National Executive Committee ( NEC) meeting in Awka, the Anambra State capital, in defiance of the Federal High Court order that barred him from doing so.
Recall that on May 10, a Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) High Court ordered Oye to stop parading himself as National Chairman of the party.
The court also restrained him from holding any gathering, meeting, congress or convention in the name of APGA NEC or National
Working Committee ( NWC), declaring such null and void.
The order followed a Supreme Court ruling on March 24, which deleted Oye from its judgement record, and affirmed Edozie Njoku as the authentic chairman of the party.
The judgement put to rest the battle for the soul of APGA, which had been running for four years.
Justice Garba Lawal, while reading the judgement of the entire panelists, ordered that Oye’s name be expunged from the case with file number SC/ CV/ 687/ 2021, in line with page 13 of Njoku’s application, and be replaced with Njoku as National Chairman of the party.
However, the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), in total disregard of the Supreme Court, in a statement issued by its National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, on May 9, insisted that Oye is APGA’S National Chairman. MEANWHILE,
the major founder of APGA, Chekwas Okorie, has expressed dissatisfaction over the move by the faction of the party, led by Oye, to sell forms and conduct Ward Congresses of the party despite Supreme Court recognition of Njoku’s camp.
This Saturday’s council congresses, leading to the state congress on Tuesday, May 23, in Awka, the state capital, would follow the just- concluded Ward Congress.
Ahead of the May 23 state Congress, the governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, it was gathered, is expected to meet with all the Chairmanship aspirants of the party at the Governor’s Lodge, Amawbia, today, to cement the power shift arrangements and reduce grievances that will trail the conduct of the congresses.
Investigations revealed that some aspirants are kicking against the micro- zoning of party positions, especially allocation of Chairmanship position to Anambra Central zone.
It was further gathered that pressure is on the other aspirants to step down for former state Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP), Ifeatu Obi- Okoye.
The move to court the congresses, regardless of the Supreme Court’s ruling and pending suit, it was further gathered, is oming on the heels of May 8 clarification by INEC, recognising Oye’s camp as authentic amid litigation by Njoku’s camp.