By Kamsi Anayo
A High Court, sitting in Awka has reaffirmed the Chief Basil Ejidike-led All Progressive Congress in Anambra state as the authentic and substantive e in the executive committee.
The Court dismissed a suit filed by the former State Chairman of the party, Mr Emeka Ibeh alongside, Mr Chukwuma Agufugo, the former State Secretary, and Mr Okelo Madukaife, former Publicity Secretary seeking the removal of Ejidike-led State Working Committee.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Ike Ogu of Awka High Court I, while delivering the judgement ruled that the plaintiffs’ suit lacked any merit whatsoever or wherever derived in the first instance, nothing that an Appeal Court judgement on the bone of contention subsists.
Dr. Iyke Oliobi, the State Publicity Secretary of the party, said the plaintiffs, Emeka Ibe, Chukwuma Agufugo, Okelo Madukaife and others who he described as fifth columnists in the party have been in different courts in the last 15 months seeking every means and shopping for Court orders and injunctions to dislodge the validly elected Chairman, Chief Basil Ejidike and other members of the State Executive Committee which emerged through the State Congress held in January 2022.
“Their latest 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.
“You may recall that the Appeal Court sitting in Awka had on Feb. 22, 2023 dismissed the judgement of the State High Court seeking the nullification of the State Congress of the APC in the state that gave a four-year mandate to the Ejidike-led State Working Committee down to the Ward Excos of the party, for lack of merit.
“This latest verdict of the High Court has put paid their desperation to sneak back to office by causing havoc in the Anambra State chapter of the APC.
“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 (NEC), had not dissolved the entire structure of the party from the National to the ward level on Dec. 28, 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. A new mandate was donated to the ward, local government, zonal and State officials of the party in Anambra State in January 2022 after the conclusion of the governorship election in Anambra State.
“This is the only legal mandate in existence and no amount of judicial voyage by these fifth columnists can change the present circumstance.
“The State Chairman of the Party, Chief Ejidike, has once again extended an olive branch to these aggrieved individuals to join hands with the State Working Committee of the party to work towards the emergence of an APC governor in the 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 give the people of Anambra State an APC governor come 2025,” Oliobi affirmed.
