BY RAYMOND OZOJI, Awka
A chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra State who didn't want his identity disclosed has said that the upcoming Anambra Local Government Elections maybe conducted under Chief Edozie Njoku whom the Supreme Court and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have recognised as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
The APGA chieftain who told HEADLINE NEWS that the court had ordered the former APGA national chairman not to conduct congresses or any activity in that regard until it determined who the authentic national chairman of APGA is, he said flouted court decisions and conducted congresses that produced Barr. Sylvester Ezeokenwa as the new national chairman of the party and other executives down to the ward levels.
The source maintained that if the Supreme Court judgment that bestowed INEC the power and authority to recognise Chief Edozie Njoku as the national chairman of APGA was not vacated, then the forthcoming local government polls would be conducted under Chief Edozie Njoku because congresses and primaries would be held prior to the elections.
The APGA chieftain said, " INEC has put Edozie Njoku's name on their website as the national chairman of APGA. That means if they want to conduct any election and his name is not removed, such election would be conducted under his watch.
So the sooner Sly goes to the Supreme Court to vacate this story of Chief Edozie Njoku as the national chairman of APGA, the better for all of us.
They have the option of going to the Appeal Court to clear whatever mistake they must have made there for the status quo to remain as it is. "
The source further disclosed that Edozie Njoku approached the Court as the national chairman of APGA to stop Chief Victor Ike Oye from conducting congresses and primaries that produced Barr. Sylvester Ezeokenwa.
The source said Oye went ahead to conduct congresses and primaries presided over by him and widely publicized in the national television, adding that it was arrant propaganda for the national publicity secretary of the party to claim that no court recognised Chief Edozie Njoku as the national chairman of APGA.
The source noted that the former APGA national chairman dabbled into the case between Chief Jude Okeke and Chief Edozie Njoku but the Supreme Court, according to the source, maintained that the persona whom Jude Okeke took to court was Edozie Njoku not Chief Victor Ike Oye.
Hence the Supreme Court held that it was Edozie Njoku's name that should have appeared in the case not the former APGA national chairman even though the former chairman of the party held that Jude Okeke and Edozie Njoku are not members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
The APGA chieftain who pleaded anonymity maintained that from the foregoing scenario, the fate of Barr. Sylvester Ezeokenwa as the national chairman of APGA is hanging coupled with other executives under him down to the ward levels.
Although the APGA chieftain said that Barr. Sylvester Ezeokenwa is claiming that it was APGA as a party that conducted the congresses and primaries not his predecessor as an individual, he advised the incumbent executives to go back to court and sort the matter out.
Meanwhile the APGA chieftain disclosed that the Supreme Court has given 90 days for the affected local governments to send in their details so that they can be included in the Federal Government Direct Payment System.
He said that the foregoing implied that Anambra and other states plagued with the non-conduct of LG elections will have to wait until they hold local government elections before they would be incorporated into the Federal Government payroll.
He also pointed out that as a matter of law, the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance must announce conduct of the elections within 90 days too to enable other political parties know about it and also prepare adequately for it.
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