APC crises may turn legal tussle as member drags party to court over extension of Oyegun’s tenure

The crises bedeviling the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has been dragged to court by one of its member following the extension of tenure of the party’s chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun and other officials of the party.

The party member from Imo State, Mr. Okere Uzochukwu, who said he was aspiring for the state chairmanship position, instituted the case against his party in a suit he filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday.

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the party had recently extended the leadership of the party both at the national, state, local government and ward levels by one year, following the decision of its National Executive Committee (NEC) on February 27, 2018.

But Uzochukwu is contending in his suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/219/2018 that the tenure extension to Oyegun and others was not only undemocratic but also violated the provisions of the constitution, the Electoral Act and the constitution of the APC.

APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are joined as the first and second respondents respectively.

Counsel to Uzochukwu, Mr. Nnamdi Okere, argued in the case that the extension of the tenure of the officials of the party at various levels was “the primary function and responsibility of the national convention” by virtue of the provisions of Article 13 and 13 (3) (ii) of the constitution of the APC 2014 (as amended).

He is therefore praying the court to hold that the tenure extension for the NWC, the state working committees as well as the local government and ward executive committees of the party commencing from June 2018 to June 2019 as “illegal, unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect.”

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The plaintiff further asked the court to compel the incumbent Odigie-Oyegun-led NWC and others to vacate their respective offices with effect from June 1, 2018, when they would have completed their four years tenure.

On the other hand, the plaintiff is also urging the court to compel INEC “to reject, cease to recognise and stop dealing with or having official communications with the Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee” and others effective from effective from June 1, 2018, “for having spent the constitutionally allowed tenure of office.”

He is also seeking an order declaring that he, as a registered and card-carrying member of the party, “has been denied the right to aspire and contest the Imo State Chairmanship of the All Progressives Congress, a position he is aspiring and canvassing for and has spent enormous resources, to warrant and justify the extant action.”

 

 

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