Just In: INEC Officially Confirms Njoku As Leader Of APGA-Executive

The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, escaped being jailed on Thursday, July 10, owing to INEC’s decision to recognise the Edozie Njoku-led National Executive of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Bwari had, in a judgment on November 9, 2023, convicted Yakubu and former National Chairman of APGA, Victor Oye for being in contempt of an earlier order made by the court on May 10, 2023, directing them to among others, recognise the Njoku-led APGA executive.

Justice Mohammed Madugu, after convicting the duo, gave them a grace of 14 days within which to purge themselves of that contempt and adjourn till November 29, 2023, to enable them to purge themselves of the acts of contempt, failing which they would be sentenced to terms of imprisonment.

But, before November 29, 2023, Yakubu and Oye appealed their conviction for contempt and got an order from the Court of Appeal, staying further proceedings in the contempt case.

However, the Court of Appeal in a judgment on June 28, 2024, dismissed the appeal filed by Yakubu and Oye and affirmed their conviction for contempt.

Based on the Court of Appeal judgment, parties were to return to the High Court of the FCT on Thursday for the sentencing of Yakubu and Oye, only to learn that the INEC Chairman has elected to purge himself of the act of contempt by recognizing the Njoku-led executive of APGA as the party’s authentic National EXCO.

Addressing the court on Thursday, the lawyer to INEC, Ahmed Mohammad said: “Upon being served with the certified true copy (CTC) of the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered on June 28, 2024, same was forwarded to the Chairman (Yakubu), the commission sat on July 9, 2024 and deliberated on the two judgments.”

He added that the commission “came out with a decision extract to comply with the decisions of the Court of Appeal, which we intend to communicate to parties and the court, that the commission has fully complied with the judgments” and has published the names of members of the Njoku-led executive on its website.

Responding, the lawyer to the Njoku-led executive, Michael Ajara commended INEC for promptly obeying the Appeal Court’s judgments on the issue.

Ajara said what is left is for INEC to provide documentary evidence of its compliance with the Court of Appeal judgments by providing the extract of the meeting.

He said: “We wait to have it so that the extract will serve as evidence of INEC Chairman’s compliance with the order so that for all intent and purposes, he can be discharged of this conviction burden.”

Lawyer to Oye, Victor Agunzi told the court that his client has taken steps to appeal, at the Supreme Court, the judgments of the Court of Appeal and has filed an application before the appellate court for a stay of execution of the judgments.

Agunzi also said his client filed another motion before the High Court for a stay of further proceedings in the contempt case pending the Supreme Court’s determination of Oye’s appeal.

The court rejected his argument that since the INEC Chairman has purged himself of the act of contempt, by necessary implication, it should be taken that his client has also purged himself of the act of contempt.

Justice Madugu, which rejected Agunzi’s position, noted that the contempt case affected Yakubu and Oye differently because they had different roles to perform in purging themselves of contempt.

The judge adjourned further hearing in the contempt case till October 28 for the hearing of Oye’s fresh motions for a stay of proceedings.