Oshiomhole-Led NWC Drags APC, INEC To Court

Former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Hilliard Eta, has requested for the nullification of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party from the Federal High Court in Abuja.

He further demanded that the high court should declare him as the Acting National Chairman of the ruling party.

National Executive Committee of the APC had at its meeting held at the Presidential Villa on June 25, 2020, dissolved the party’s National Working Committee, led by the then National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.

The NEC, at the meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari set up the caretaker committee and appointed the Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, to head the committee.

Eko Hot Blog understands that after the dissolution, 18 members of the NWC who had assuredly chosen to be in support of Oshiomhole said in a statement that the NEC meeting was illegal.

In the statement signed by the then acting National Chairman, Eta, and acting National Secretary, Waziri Bulama, the group made it clear that they were consulting other stakeholders and their lawyers on the dissolution as well as other decisions taken by the NEC.

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Eta, who was initially the National Vice Chairman, South-South, had emerged as the acting National Chairman of the party following the inability of the then National Vice Chairman, South, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, to assume the position due to his health.

Eta on November 26, 2020, filed his fresh suit which was instituted on his behalf by his lawyer, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), calling for the dissolution of the Oshiomhole-led NWC which he was part of.

He sought various orders of injunction to restrain the Buni-led committee from taking any further steps on behalf of the party which may include planning the party’s convention.

Listed as defendants in the suit are Buni in his capacity as chairman of the caretaker committee; John Akpan Udoedehe as the National Secretary; as well as Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State; Governor Sani Bello of Niger State, and Stella Okotete, as members of the committee.

The plaintiffs just as the lawyer added, Eta and APC, joined the Independent National Electoral Commission as the sixth defendant.

The plaintiffs argued among others that by virtue of Section 183 of the Nigerian Constitution and Article 17 (iv) of the constitution of the APC, it was an illegality and a void act for a person to hold an executive office in the government simultaneously with an office in any organ of the APC at any level, in whatever capacity.

They also argued that by virtue of same Section 183 of the Nigerian Constitution, Article 17 (i) and (iv) and 20 (i) (a) of the APC constitution, the purported removal of the duly elected officers of the party on June 25, 2020, was void and did not affect the rights of the duly elected officers of the APC to continue with the discharge of the duties for which they were elected.

In an affidavit deposed to by Etagbo Eta in support of the originating summons, the NWC had reacted to the proposed illegal meeting in a document captioned “Press Statement by the APC NWC,” clearly expressing that the proposed meeting violated the APC Constitution.

He explained that the 1st to 5th defendants (members of the Buni-led committee) and those who projected them were duly alerted of the illegality of their act, yet they persisted in such illegality and willful disregard of the organic document of the 1st plaintiff.

He expressed concerns that INEC “no longer deals” with the duly elected executive of the APC but on the contrary recognised the 1st to 5th defendants in all matters concerning the 1st plaintiff, which contravenes the constitution of APC.

The plaintiffs, therefore, sought, among others, an order setting aside and nullifying the appointment and constitution of the 1st to 5th defendants into a caretaker/extraordinary convention planning committee of the APC.

They also sought an order mandating the sixth defendant (INEC) to recognise and deal with the second plaintiff (Hilliard Eta) as the Acting National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress”.

The suit has yet to be assigned to a judge.