APC threatens Oyegun for defying court order

A faction of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Abia State has
threatened the National Chairman of the party, Chief John
Odigie-Oyegun with contempt charges for defying a court order to
conduct the state congresses of the party.


The party said that Oyegun had gone ahead to inaugurate Hon Donatus
Nwankpa as state chairman instead of obeying a court order.

Prior to the state congresses of APC held across the country last
month, an Abia State High Court had sacked the Nwankpa-led executive
committee and recognized Dr. Emmanuel Ndukwe as the authentic chairman
of the party in Abia.


Addressing reporters in Umuahia, the state capital yesterday, the
Publicity Secretary of the Ndukwe-led faction, Hon. Mike Ozoemena said
the faction decided to press contempt charges against Oyegun so as to
remind him that the rule of law remains the backbone of a democratic
society.

He recalled that a court order issued by an Abia State High Court on
March 8, 2018, "restrained Oyegun, Nwankpa and his executives and
their agents from organizing any ward, local government or state
congresses or primaries of the APC in Abia State."

He, therefore, expressed disappointment that Oyegun ignored the valid
order properly served on him.


Justice Collins Okoroafor in the order specifically restrained the
Oyegun leadership, "from planning, implementing, executing or even
holding to discuss or strategize on such issues and other issues
concerning nomination or sponsorship of candidates for any elective
position in Abia state or Nigeria except with the Dr Emmanuel
Ndukwe-led state executive committee pending the hearing and
determination of the substantive suit."

But Ozoemena cried out that without vacating the court order, the APC
national leadership still went ahead to send state congress committee
to Abia State headed by Senator Jonathan Zwingina as chairman and
Hajia Rabi Sulu Gamabari as secretary.

However, the committee on arrival in Umuahia conducted a parallel
congress supervised by Zwingina and another by Hajia Rabi Sulu
Gamabari.

While the Zwingina committee elected the Nwankpa-led faction, the
Hajia Gambari elected Dr. Emmanuel Ndukwe-led faction, with Gambari
saying that her group was in Abia "to ensure that the rule of law is
upheld in the country."

While Nwankpa and Ndukwe emerged chairmen from the parallel
congresses, Oyegun later included the former when he inaugurated state
chairmen of APC at a ceremony in the party's national secretariat,
Abuja.

Ozoemena said that Oyegun should prove himself as a democrat by
obeying the court order and urged him to emulate President Muhammadu
Buhari, who has demonstrated his love for democracy and rule of law by
recognizing the outcome of June 12 1993 presidential poll.