TRACKING_____Ahead of the 2021 Anambra State governorship election the duo of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) are neck deep in confusion over who are the National Chairman and state chairman of the parties.
The APGA since after its controversial convention currently has three persons laying claim to the chairmanship position of the party
In the SDP one Dr Webster Okonkwo recently claimed to have obtained a judgement from an Awka High Court which according to him, confirmed him as state chairman, adding that his two-year tenure ends this year
But the current Chairman, Mr Ikechukwu Nwanekwe described Dr Okonkwo claim as of no consequences, adding that the construction of the party made provision for a four year tenure not two years adding that the suit filed by Dr Okonkwo was against Vincent Obi and that he could not have joined in the suit because his name is still in website of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC as the chairman of the party
Similarly seven governorship aspirants of the party, led by Chief Maximus Ezenwafor, yesterday endorsed the leadership of Nwanekwe urging both party members and the general public to discountenance the claims of Dr Okonkwo.
The picture of confusion in the ruling APGA in the state also deepened following apprehension among members over who would conduct the primary election in the party and which of the three persons who are laying claim to the party’s leadership would sign the governorship form of their eventual candidate.
Barr Dr Mic Adams emerged the APGA Interim National Chairman when on July 4, 2019, the Delta State High Court sitting in Kwale, nullified the National Convention of APGA held on May 31, 2019. With the vacuum created by the judgement, the party leaders met at Abuja on August 2019 and appointed an interim leadership of the party led by Barr Adams.
Presently, that judgement is still subsisting. Oye has only filed a vacation application to the same court asking that the judge vacate the judgement. The hearing on the matter was slated to come up on February 6, but the court could not sit.
Chief Edozie Njoku emerged the National Chairman of APGA at a parallel National Convention of APGA, which held at Owerri. While Oye emerged at Awka, Edozie Njoku emerged at Owerri.
After the duo emerged at different venues on May 31, 2019; Oye approached the FCT High Court in Abuja where he obtained an injunction stopping Njoku from parading himself as the National Chairman of APGA. The order also stopped APGA from recognising Njoku as its National Chairman.
Oye obtained the order on June 4, 2019. On January 16, 2020 when the substantive matter was slated for hearing, Oye surprisingly withdrew his matter against Edozie from court and it was struck out. But on obtaining the restraining order, Oye used the address of APGA National Secretariat as the address of Chief Edozie Njoku. All court services to Njoku were done through APGA Secretariat.
Currently Ozo Victor Oye is the only claimant to the seat of the National Chairman of APGA without any legal or administrative backing. His only claim to the position was the Awka Convention of May 31, 2019. That convention has been nullified by the judgement of Kwale on July 2019
