The Supreme Court has upheld the leadership of Sly Ezeokenwa as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and fined Edozie Njoku ₦20 million for filing a baseless lawsuit at the FCT High Court, Bwari.
Earlier, the Federal High Court in Abuja had ruled against Mr. Njoku, barring him from claiming the party’s chairmanship.
Justice James Omotosho declared there was no valid court judgment, including from the Supreme Court, that recognized Njoku as APGA’s leader.
APGA and Mr. Ezeokenwa, as plaintiffs, had filed a suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/966/2024) against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Mr. Njoku after INEC replaced Ezeokenwa’s name and his executive team on its website with Njoku’s leadership.
Justice Omotosho ruled that INEC had no legal basis to recognize Njoku, emphasizing that the Supreme Court had already settled the chairmanship dispute in its March 2023 ruling.
“There is no subsisting court order upon which it acted. The decision of the Supreme Court was clear as to who the national chairman should be, and it is certainly not Chief Edozie Njoku.
“Chief Victor Oye was, in fact, recognized by law. Furthermore, at the expiration of his (Oye’s) tenure in 2023, a national convention was held on 31 May 2023 in Awka, Anambra State, which produced the 2nd Plaintiff (Ezeokenwa) and other persons as national executives.
“The 1st defendant (INEC) monitored the same and issued a report (Exhibit APGA 1).
“There is nothing before this court faulting the election of the 2nd plaintiff and his executive team as the rightful occupants of the national executive of the party.
“The 1st defendant must, therefore, restore their names as the National Executive Officers of the All Progressives Grand Alliance party,” he said
The court directed INEC to restore the names of Ezeokenwa and his executive team, highlighting that no evidence challenged their legitimacy as APGA’s rightful leaders.