• Member rejects inclusion in party's NEC
THE last may not have been heard in the crisis rocking the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as a Federal High Court sitting in Awka, Anambra State and presided over by Justice M.T. Salihu Wednesday restrained the newly elected factional national chairman of the party, Chief Maxi Okwu and all other officers so elected along with him in the recent congress and convention they organised, from parading or holding themselves as such.
Meanwhile, an elected member of the National Executive Committee (NEC), Habib Gajo has rejected his inclusion into the Okwu-led NEC at the party's April 8 national convention at Awka.
Also, following the court order, the Okwu led-faction of the APGA has postponed its town hall meeting scheduled for Enugu tomorrow.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Okwu stated that the meeting had been temporarily postponed pending the determination of the suit.
The suit was brought by the duly elected wards, local governments and state executive officers of the party led by its chairman in Njikoka Council, Chief Charles Nwazojie against Okwu and his other newly installed executives at the wards, councils and state levels.
Justice M.T Salihu granted the order in pursuant to the Motion Exparte brought before it on April 15, 2013 by Ugo Ugwunnadi, counsel to the applicants, after reading the statement, the reliefs sought, the grounds upon which the application was brought.
But Okwu in a quick reaction told journalists that he was surprised that the court could give such an order without those sued being aware of it. He vowed that the order "will not stand."
The court according to the details also considered "a 44 paragraph affidavit verifying the facts as well as a 12 paragraph affidavit of extreme urgency both deposed to by the applicant on record and filed at this Court Registry, Awka."
The order read in part: "An order of mandamus compelling the 1st Respondent (INEC) to perform her statutory and public duties as enshrined in the Third Schedule and Section 287 (3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and Section 86 of the Electoral Act of 2010 (as amended), by ensuring that the activities of APGA, her members, officers, organs, subordinates, servants, agents or privies, regarding the Executive Committees of APGA both at the National and Anambra State Chapter, are in conformity with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and Electoral Act (as amended), the Constitution of APGA, to avoid any breach of peace, breakdown of law and order, anarchy and bloodshed in the management of the affairs of APGA Anambra State Chapter, and in Anambra State in general.
"An Order of Mandamus compelling the 2nd & 3rd Respondents to perform their statutory and public duties as enshrined in Section 287 (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and the police Act, detection of crime and protection of law and order by investigating the petitions, complaints and reports brought the 4th-6th Respondents by the Applicant for which the 2nd & 3rd Respondents have neglected, refused and failed to investigate.
"An Order of prohibition compelling the 4th – 6th Respondents from acting in the offices in which they are not entitled to act, among others.
Gajo, a member of the Victor Umeh-led NEC, who was said to have been re- elected in absentia as the financial secretary of the Maxi Okwu-led faction of APGA, has in a letter to INEC rejected his inclusion into the party's NEC.
In a letter dated April 11, 2013, which the Commission said it received on April 15 2013, and made available to reporters yesterday in Abuja Gajo denounced his purported election at the convention in Awka, which produced Okwu as the national chairman of APGA.
According to the letter, Gajo maintained that he still remains the National Financial Secretary of the APGA under Umeh's leadership.
The Guardian