ABUJA– A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, sitting at Bwari, on Wednesday, terminated further proceedings on a contempt charge pending against the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
Equally cited as a defendant in the charge was a former Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Oye.
It will be recalled that Justice Mohammed Madugu had on November 9, 2023, issued an order that convicted the INEC boss and Chief Oye for disobeying a directive of the court on the protracted leadership crisis that rocked the APGA.
The court had on the strength of an application that was brought before it by two aggrieved chieftains of the party, Otunba Camaru Lateef Ogidan (the National Vice Chairman, South West Geopolitical Zone of APGA) and Alhaji Rabiu Mustapha (the National Welfare Officer of APGA), ordered INEC to recognize Chief Edozie Njoku as the authentic National Chairman of the party.
However, the plaintiffs re-approached the court, accusing the defendants of treating the order of the court with disdain.
In the committal charge they filed before the court, the plaintiffs specifically sought to jail Prof. Yakubu for spurning an order the court made on May 10, 2023, which restrained Oye and APGA from conducting Ward, Local Government, State Congresses and Convention.
They noted that the court had ordered the INEC Chairman and Chief Oye, who were joined as parties in the case, to maintain status quo ante bellum and not take any steps, pending the determination of their substantive suit.
According to the plaintiffs, despite the court order, the Chief Oye-led faction of the party went ahead and conducted Congresses under the supervision of INEC.
They further decried that INEC accepted the names of candidates for various elective positions that were forwarded to it by the Chief Oye-led faction of the party.
Though the court confirmed that the defendants acted in disobedience to its orders and were liable to be committed to prison, however, it gave them a 14-day grace period to purge themselves of the said contempt by reversing their actions.
Even though the INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu, promptly complied with the court order by recognising Chief Njoku as the National Chairman of APGA, on his part, Chief Oye took the matter before the Court of Appeal where he obtained an order that stayed the execution of the high court judgement.
Meanwhile, at the resumed sitting on the matter on Wednesday, the plaintiffs, through their lawyer, Mr. Micheal Ajara, told the court that despite the pendency of the appeal, they were no longer willing to prosecute the case.
They predicated their decision on the November 27, 2024, judgement of the Supreme Court that recognised another person, Mr. Sly Ezeokenwa, as the National Chairman of APGA.
The plaintiffs told the court that they were willing to abide by the decision of the apex court on the APGA leadership dispute.
Consequently, in a short ruling, Justice Madugu discharged the earlier committal order and struck out the case against the defendants.
Among those that were in court to witness the proceeding, included the erstwhile factional Chairman of APGA, Chief Njoku, who had since emerged as the new Chairman of the National Rescue Mission, NRM.
While commending Justice Madugu on the way he handled the case, Chief Njoku, who was flanked by top officials of his new political party, maintained that there must be an end to every litigation.
Describing the judge as “a diligent and courageous man, who exhibited courage when it mattered most,” Chief Njoku equally commended the plaintiffs for withdrawing the case against Prof. Yakubu and Chief Oye.
“One thing that stood out in this case is the fact that the judge showed rare courage under the current circumstance of Nigeria. If he did not show that courage, I could have been in jail.
“We thank God that our case came before a judge who has conscience, integrity and showed courage when it was necessary,” Chief Njoku told newsmen after the court proceeding.
