Court Bars Edozie Njoku From Claiming APGA National Chairmanship
A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a ruling prohibiting Chief Edozie Njoku from presenting himself as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Justice James Omotosho, in his judgment, declared that there was no valid court order or ruling, including a Supreme Court decision, that recognised Njoku as the legitimate APGA national chairman.
The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed by APGA and its recognised National Chairman, Sylvester Ezeokenwa, against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Njoku. The plaintiffs challenged the electoral body’s decision to replace Ezeokenwa’s name and his executive officers with those led by Njoku on the INEC website in July 2023.
Justice Omotosho ruled that INEC had acted unlawfully by recognising the Njoku-led APGA leadership. He emphasised that there was no court order supporting Njoku’s claim and pointed to a Supreme Court ruling which had clarified that Chief Victor Oye remained the legitimate leader of APGA.
The judge also referenced a 2023 national convention in which Ezeokenwa and his executive team were duly elected, with INEC overseeing the process and issuing a report confirming the election.
Furthermore, the court affirmed that the Supreme Court’s decision in 2021 had already settled the issue of who should be the valid APGA chairman, with Oye being confirmed as the rightful leader. The court found that Njoku’s claims were not supported by legal precedent and that his name correction in the Supreme Court ruling had no impact on the validity of Oye’s chairmanship.
In his ruling, Justice Omotosho ordered INEC to restore the names of Ezeokenwa and his executive team as the rightful national officers of APGA, declaring the July 9 publication of Njoku’s group as unconstitutional and void.
