The governorship candidate, senatorial candidates, house of representatives candidates and the house of assembly candidates who are currently flying the flags of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) may be exercising their efforts in futility following recent revelations.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), as affirmed by the High Court of Abia State, in the Umuahia Judicial Division and the Court of Appeal in Owerri Judicial Division, Prince Nnanna Ukaegbu, has warned that all those buying forms and winning primaries, as candidates on the party platform are wasting their time and money.
Ukaegbu said that the Reverend Augustine Ehiemere-led executive that is organising the primaries is illegal, as the courts have sacked the executive under Ehiemere’s leadership, three times and they have refused to obey court order.
Rather than obey court orders, Ukaegbu noted that they chose to do things contrary to court order, which he said will have serious consequences on the party when the time comes.
He made the statement, while addressing journalists who asked him about the consequences of the Judgement of Court of Appeal in Owerri Judicial Division, on Thursday, 7th April 2022, on APPEAL NO. CA/OW/26/2019 which reaffirmed him, as the chairman of APGA in Abia, which is in agreement with SUIT NO:HU/82/2018 judgement, given on Tuesday 25th September 2018 in the High Court of Abia State, in the Umuahia Judicial Division and also a Judgement in Obingwa Judicial Division.
In the copy of the Judgement made available to News Echo, as seen by Aba City Blog, the presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Owerri Judicial Division, Hon. Justice Rita Nosakhare Pemu, after reading the Appeal against the decision of High Court of Abia State, Obingwa Judicial Division ordered that:
“The Appellant (APGA Abia State Chapter) is no longer desirous of prosecuting this appeal. Moreso, since he had been served with processes in this matter by way of hearing notice and this motion before court was filed on the 9th of February 2021.
“Accordingly, this Appeal shall be and same is hereby dismissed. Appeal No. CA/OW/26/2019 is hereby deleted from the court’s record.”
Replying Journalists who came to inquire from him on the orders of the court, Ukaegbu said that since the sacked APGA executive led by Ehiemere lost at the Appeal Court, they still have one layer of Appeal which is the Supreme Court, which they need to make use of, instead of going ahead with primaries.
He said that a High Court made an order in 2018 that he, Prince Nnanna Ukaegbu is the state Chairman of APGA in Abia State and that APGA cannot do anything without his participation.
“They went back to the same court and got a stay which is part of our problems in Nigeria. They got a stay against that order pending the Appeal. The supreme Court has said that a party that’s in disobedience of a court order cannot approach the court for any discretionary remedy.
“If you refused to one court order you can’t come back to the same court to ask for anything. However, the court granted them stay, which means the Judgement is suspended to enable them go to appeal.”
He added that since the court of Appeal Owerri Division has dismissed the Appeal, the judgement of the High Court which declared him as the chairman of APGA in Abia State stands and what the sacked Executive has gone ahead to do which includes conducting primaries in APGA in his absence is null and void.
According to him, those piloting the affairs of APGA in Abia does not know the consequences of their actions. “Those piloting the affairs of APGA in Abia State are mere motor park touts who are not interested in the safety of their passengers. All they want is the little money they get from each passenger that pays.
“When we went to appeal, they discovered that they had no case. They started filling letters of adjournment and filling one process after the other until the court itself got angry and said they were no longer interested in the matter.
“It took them three years to prosecute an Appeal over the management of a political party that’s usually given an accelerated hearing that ought not to have lasted for three months. The court out of anger dismissed their Appeal and now that the appeal is determined their stay elapsed.”
Ukaegbu called on the sacked APGA leadership to exhaust the last layer of the court which is the Supreme Court if they feel shortchanged, rather than going about nominating candidates.
“They’re going ahead to conduct primaries against the express provision of the court, which they’ve challenged and lost. I’ve advised them, please we have enough time to go to the Supreme Court and settle this matter once and for all, but they’re more interested in what I don’t understand. They’re not interested in what will happen tomorrow.
“APGA as of today does not have a candidate at all. I’ve passed the stage of noisemaking. Consequences of disobeying court orders are very clear and the court we have today does not close its eyes to some of those things.
“You saw the case of Amaechi when he became Governor, you saw why APC didn’t have candidate in Rivers State in the 2019 election, you saw how Zamfara was nullified after winning and swearing-in? The consequences are much.”
