Abia 2023: Oye appeals to members of APGA in Abia to remain calm

*As Appeal Court sacks Abia guber candidate, disqualifies party from participating in governorship poll

From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia

The National leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has appealed to members of the party in Abia State to remain calm and refrain from making any uncomplimentary remarks against the judiciary.

National Chairman of APGA, Ozonkpu Dr. Victor Ike Oye, made the appeal following the ruling of the Appeal Court, Abuja Division, which not only sacked APGA governorship candidate in Abia, Prof. Greg Ibe, but disqualified the party from participating in the March 11, 2023 governorship contest in the state.

The Appeal Court delivered the judgement on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, saying that the party failed to conduct a valid governorship primary within the time stipulated by law and, as such, has no governorship candidate in Abia.

But Oye said that God would not allow the evil designs of the party’s detractors to succeed, even as Prof. Ibe has flatly rejected the court ruling, describing it as strange and asked his supporters to remain calm.

APGA National Chairman, Oye, in a statement after the court judgement titled “Appeal For Calm Over The Court Of Appeal, Abuja, Judgment On Greg Ibe And APGA,” said:

I wish to urge us all not to be emotional about the outcome of the case involving our governorship candidate in Abia State, Prof. Greg Ibe, or say things untoward and inimical to justice. 

“Our team of lawyers is studying the judgment and will suggest the best way to address the matter.

“Meanwhile, the leadership of our party urges all our members to remain calm as it is working tirelessly to ensure that our great party participates in the governorship election scheduled for March 11, 2023. The God we serve will not allow the evil designs of our detractors to succeed.

Recall that the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Wednesday declared that APGA has no governorship candidate for the 2023 election in Abia State. A unanimous verdict of a three-member panel of justices read by Justice Stephen Adah, held that the failure of the party to conduct a valid primary within the time set by law robbed it of the opportunity to participate in the elections.

A Federal High Court in Abuja had in December 2022 nullified the May 29, 2022 primary of APGA in Abia which produced Prof Ibe on the grounds of irregularities in the conduct of the said primary.

The court presided over by Justice Binta Nyako then ordered the party to conduct a fresh primary within 14 days. The primary has yet to be conducted following controversies as Prof Greg Ibe, Etigwe Uwa and Chikwe Udensi, have all bee laying claims to the governorship ticket.

Meanwhile, the Abia State APGA Governorship Candidate, Prof Ibe, has announced his outright rejection of the Court of Appeal verdict on the post-primary election matter between him and one of his opponents, Sir Chikwe Udensi.

Reacting to the Abuja Court of Appeal ruling, which sustained the nullification of the Abia State APGA governorship primary election of 29 May 2022, by Justice Binta Nyako of the Abuja High Court, due to alleged irregularities, Prof Ibe faulted the position of the judges, stating that it was totally unacceptable and affirmed that he had briefed his legal team to immediately commence cross-appeal proceedings at the Supreme Court.

Ibe said in a statement issued in Umuahia: ”Today I received with utter dissatisfaction, the outcome of the Abuja Court of Appeal matter between Sir Chikwe Udensi and I. According to information available to me, the judges denied Sir Udensi his twin prayers of either being declared governorship candidate of our party or ordering a rerun of the primary election. Then, in a manner tantamount to playing Father Christmas, the court surprisingly erred by granting a request that was not pleaded by declaring that our party, APGA should not present any candidate during the governorship election of 11 March 2023.

” This is not only a strange ruling but one that is preposterous and totally unjustifiable. I thereby reject the judgment in its entirety and subsequently announce my decision to seek redress at the apex court. Already my lawyers have been briefed to immediately commence cross-appeal proceedings at the Supreme Court in order to upturn the unfair judgment.”

“There is no doubt that this latest antic is the height of the desperate machinations of enemies of Abia who do not want someone of my pedigree to mount the saddle and offer the people better life. Unfortunately for them, their fruitless arrows of attack only make me stronger and more determined to fight for the ultimate liberation of our people from the captivity of backwardness and under development.“ 

Asserting that nature abhors vacuum, Ibe maintained that that he still remains the governorship candidate of APGA in Abia State until otherwise determined by the Supreme Court and thereby enjoined people of the state, especially his numerous supporters, to remain calm while sustaining their solidarity for his candidacy. 

“I therefore enjoin Abians to remain undeterred by the desperate efforts of mischief makers in their bid to truncate the march to a new Abia, but to sustain their desire for positive change in the state as represented by my candidacy, since I still remain the flag bearer of APGA until the Supreme Court determines otherwise,” he said.