APGA Chair urges Tinubu, AGF to prevail on INEC to obey court orders

By Vivian Okejeme Abuja

National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Edozie Njoku, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, to prevail on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to obey orders of Courts of competent jurisdictions, which had affirmed him as the National Chairman of APGA.
Addressing the press on Wednesday in Abuja, Chief Njoku wondered why an agency of government will vehemently flout valid court orders and choose the ones he will obey.
“It’s not just that INEC is not obeying a Supreme Court judgment delivered on March 24, 2023; INEC has also disobeyed an injunction and an order of a High Court of the FCT, Bwari, to recognize me as the National Chairman of APGA.
“Instead of INEC to obey the enforcement judgement of the High Court or appeal same, they rushed and got a stay on a committal charge, which had given them 14-day grace period to purge themselves of contempt.
“The court has come out to say that INEC Chairman is in contempt of court and Victor Oye who submitted the names and held a congress and convention is also in contempt.
“But that’s not our problem. We are calling on Nigerians, we are calling on President Bola Tinubu and also calling on the Attorney General of the Federation to look into the issue, where it is that a parastatal can get a stay from the Court of Appeal, on a commital judgement that already had been given.
“Prof Mahmood Yakubu and Oye are relying on the stay to flout and disobey a direct order of the court.
“We are therefore calling on every well meaning Nigerian to appeal to the INEC Chairman to obey a valid order of the court” Chief Njoku stated.
Recall that the Supreme Court had on March 24, 2023, in a suit marked SC/687/21, affirmed Chief Njoku, as the Chairman of APGA.
The apex court pronouncement followed an application by Chief Njoku, wherein he sought the regularization of the amended judgment of Justice Mary Peter Odili (rtd) delivered on May 9, 2022.
Njoku’s motion followed a letter of the Supreme Court to him on January 19, 2023, wherein the Court had addressed him as the National Chairman of APGA and advised him to approach the Court by way of a motion to correct the typographical slip.