• Dismisses Ibe, Madukaife, Agufugo suit for lack of merit

From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha

A high court sitting in Awka, Anambra State, has affirmed Chief Basil Ejidike-led State Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the authentic and substantive Leadership of the Party in Anambra State.

The court also dismissed a suit filed by the former State Chairman of the APC in Anambra State, Mr Emeka Ibeh alongside Mr Chukwuma Agufugo, the former State Secretary of the party, Mr Okelo Madukaife, former Publicity Secretary of the Party in Anambra State seeking the removal of Chief Ejidike-led State Working Committee of the party.

Justice Ike Ogu while delivering the judgement said that the plaintiffs’ suit lacked merit whatsoever in the first instance, stressing that an Appeal Court judgement on the matter subsists.

Recalled that Appeal Court sitting in Awka had on February 22nd 2023 dismissed the judgement of the State High Court seeking the nullification of the State Congress of the APC in Anambra State that gave a four-year mandate to the Chief Basil Ejidike-led State Working Committee down to the Ward Excos of the party, for lack of merit.

Reacting to the Judgement, the State APC Publicity Secretary Dr Val Iyke-Oliobi said that the plaintiffs who he described as fifth columnists in the party had been in different courts in the last fifteen months seeking for every means and shopping for Court orders and injunctions to dislodge the validly elected Chairman of the APC in Anambra State, Sir Basil Ejidike and other members of State Executive Committee that emerged through the State Congress that held in January 2022.

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He noted that the plaintiff recent judicial trip to the High Court in Awka resulted in defeat as the Court affirmed that the prayers sought by the plaintiffs have been overtaken by events.

“This latest verdict of the High Court has put to rest their desperation to sneak back to office to continue causing havoc in the State chapter of the party. These desperate insurrectionists were surreptitiously seeking a bizarre tenure elongation by clinging on a 2018 Congress whose mandate should have expired in August 2022 even if the APC National Executive Committee had not dissolved the entire structure of the party from the National to the ward level on 8th December, 2020.

They have refused to acknowledge the reality that the APC in Anambra State and indeed nationwide have moved past the product of the 2018 Congresses. This is the only legal mandate in existence and no amount of judicial voyage by these fifth columnists can change the present circumstance,” Oliobi stated.

The state Chairman of the Party, Chief Ejidike (Ikwelle Nnabuenyi), in his reaction extended an olive branch to the aggrieved members to join hands with the State Working Committee of the party in Anambra State to work towards the emergence of an APC Governor in Anambra State come 2025.

“We can only hope that this time around they will see reason to embrace peace and unity as the State Executive Committee is ever ready to work with them believing in their readiness to giving Ndi Anambra an APC Governor come 2025,” he appealed.