Ebonyi APC Crises: Aggrieved APC Chieftain sue APC , INEC, Others
Laraba Raphael
Former executive member of the All progressive congress party (APC) in Ebonyi state, Friday Nworie, has sued the newly constituted caretaker committee of the party led by chief Stanley Okoro Emegha to court, over the dissolution of the former Executive Committee of the party as well as the institution of the later as illegal.
In a current originating summons deposed by him in a federal High court of sitting in Abuja judicial division in with suit no: FHC/ABJ/CS/122/2021
Joined in the suit are All progressive congress(APC) Independent national electoral commission(INEC), The inspector General of police, Stanley Okoro, Ozoemena Njoku, Engr. Ogbonnaya Igboke, Charles Ofoke, Chidi Ogbuatu, Barr. Ikaa Ikaa Ukeni, Chief paulinus Ali, Chief Joseph Ozigbo, Odo Oluchi Joseph and Francis Obike Nweze, and expectedly within 30 days after the service of this summon on them, inclusive of the day of such the appointment was made”.
The plantiff, who served as the secretary of the party in Ebonyi local government area, argued that the caretaker/extraordinary convention planning committee (CECPC) had no powers to dissolve them, he maintains that
“The dissolution affected his rights as a member of the APC in the state and also a member of the local government Executive committee of the party,
He agrued “That he knows that the Constitution of the party did not give the (CECPC) any powers to appoint the Defendants as caretakers of APC in Ebonyi state”.
Recall that the caretaker/extraordinary convention planning committee (CECPC) had on 16th November 2020, dissolved the entire executive committee structure of the party in Ebonyi state, appointing the current caretaker committee chaired by Stanley Okoro, who is also a serving commissioner for internal security in the state,
Nworie, who maintained that the development is unconstitutional, banked on the fact that at the time of his appointment, the caretaker committee chairman, Stanley Okoro was a card carrying member of the People’s Democratic party (PDP)
Also that the other members of the newly installed committee such as Engr Ogbonnaya Igboke, Ozoemena Njoku are serving officials of the then PDP Governor, while the current secretary of the caretaker committee, Charles Ofoke was still a member of the PDP.
He prayed the court to grant justice in order to address the issues as originated from the summons, insisting that he was not among those allegedly factioning the party and that he was not given the opportunity to be heard in respect of the allegations against him prior to the dissolution of the entire state executive committee. Among his prayers is for the court to invalidate the caretaker Committee and return the elected state working Committee.
