Supreme court affirms Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

The supreme court has affirmed Sylvester Ezeokenwa as the authentic national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

In a unanimous judgment on Wednesday, a five-member panel led by Stephen Adah, ruled that Edozie Njoku was wrong for parading himself as APGA national chairman.

Since 2023, Ezeokenwa and Njoku have been locked in a leadership tussle. The rift has led to multiple litigation.

Adah ruled that the earlier judgment on the appeal marked SC/CV/687/2021 delivered on October 14, 2021 and corrected on March 24, 2024 did not confer any enforceable rights on Njoku.

The judge said Njoku has been using the 2021 verdict to lay claim to the AGPA leadership position.

He held that it was wrong for Njoku to approach the lower court for an enforcement of judgment because no executory reliefs were granted.

The judge argued that the judges of the trial court and court of appeal, who declared Njoku as APGA chairman, were wrong to have heard the suit ab initio.

The judge dismissed the judgment of the court of appeal delivered in June 2024 that affirmed the verdict of the high court.

The apex court awarded N20 million for each of the three appeals against two members of the Njoku faction (who are listed as 1st and 2nd respondents).

BACKGROUND

Ezeokenwa was elected APGA national chairman in May 2023 after an elective convention was held in Awka, Anambra state.

Njoku had argued that a convention that was held in Owerri, Imo state capital, produced him as APGA’s national chair.

In July 2024, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised Njoku as the national chairman.

The electoral body said it relied on a court order to do so.

Before Ezeokenwa was elected chair, there was a leadership tussle between Victor Oye, immediate-past chair of APGA, and Njoku.

Recently, a federal high court in Abuja restrained Njoku from parading himself as the national chairman of APGA.